Twilight - New Arrivals
by alprunty
Summary: A new wolf arrives in La Push, Christopher Uley, 1/2 Quileute 1/2 White, who has lost his mother seeking family ties on his Father's side. However he finds that there are more secrets to be found there than he ever knew. Also arriving is Tatiana, a young research assistant to a professor who is searching for a new species of wolf. Their path cross read what happens.
1. They Arrive

**The New Ranger Arrives**

* * *

Christopher Uley arrived in Forks on a rare warm sunny morning after leaving when he was only six years old… he had graduated the forestry academy and when the posting for La Push opened up he requested it and was immediately assigned, it was if it was meant for him. He was ½ White and ½ Quileute but never felt accepted by either people. He walked into the diner and sat down promptly ordering breakfast as he waited for his old childhood best friend, and cousin, Sam to meet him there. He looked at Cora and thanked her as she refilled his coffee.

The newly assigned ranger was a tall, rather athletic young man wearing an olive green forestry ranger uniform. Some of the locals muttered about his Indian heritage… the towns Quileute were quick to point out that he was not totally their blood either. His father died when he was six years old… no one ever talked about why… all Chris could remember was that his mother took him far away from the La Push reservation never to talk about his native family again.

Sam came in the diner and smiled as he saw his cousin, "It's good to see you again Chris… you look impressive in that forestry uniform."

Chris motioned for Sam to have a seat, "It's been a long time, but I recognized you the moment you walked in…" he handed Sam a menu, "breakfast on me… my treat, we have so much to catch up on."

"How's your mom," Sam asked?

A look of sadness came across the ranger's face, "she died two years ago… I have no family left on Mom's side." He sighed, "So when I graduated top rank from the academy and could request whatever station I wanted, I volunteered for the Forks/La Push ranger station, strange that it just opened up. I was expecting to be the assistant ranger, but the veteran ranger Adams has disappeared. Seems that you guys have a bit of a hard time keeping a ranger over the past couple of years they get attacked by animals or die mysteriously. I thought if I…"

Sam interrupted, "no Chris… anywhere but here… go to Olympia or one of the other national parks, there are much better places out there besides this small place."

"Sam," Chris said, "the only family I have in the world is my father's people and they are on the La Push reservation… I know my mom said many hurtful things and left on bad terms, but don't judge me because my mom was hurt by Dad's death... she never talked about it." He sighed, "Remember when we were young and became blood brothers…"

Sam interrupted him, "many things have changed Chris, I can't explain. You have been gone so long you were not raised within our people. You will be an outsider."

"Outsider, half-breed, injun… I've been called it all growing up going to the white schools… I know very well I'm not really white, but I'm not really Quileute either. I just want family… even family that will only half accept my half blood is better than no family at all." Chris was beginning to get flustered a bit… his body temperature seemed to raise a bit… "It's getting hot in here now I think I'm getting a cold or something… perhaps we should dwell on more pleasant thoughts of childhood."

Sam nodded, "but consider that there is a lot of dangerous wildlife in these parts… and be safe… that's all I ask."

"Always cousin," Chris said, "I've been trained about all manner of wildlife that can be found out in the forest.

The two of them share a peaceful breakfast… afterwards Sam went back to promptly inform the tribal council that Chris is back and has no intention of going anywhere… and Chris departs to check into his duty station and settle into his new residence at the park ranger station.

* * *

Three days later Chris was still feeling quite feverish... but he still had to work, there was no other ranger he was alone. A report of an animal attack killing a vagrant in the woods had gotten the attention of his Captain who sent orders for him to go photograph the attack scene. He double checked how he looked in his uniform as he grabbed the camera. He took a cold bottle of water out of the fridge and went out to the jeep. He put his jacket on at the station but had taken it off by the time he got in the jeep... the weather was cool and he should not feel so hot, did not exactly feel sick strangely he was breaking a sweat.

He drove to the scene of the attack and it had already been roped off, the body removed, and investigated by the town's law enforcement. His job was to photograph and find out what kind of animal attacked the vagrant… however all he saw was hundreds of footprints… human footprints everywhere and no animal prints. "Damn," he said as he heard some popping and cracking in the woods only to look up and see Sam, Paul and Jared come through the woods. "So you guys are the ones who have trampled the attack scene. I need to find out what animal attacked the homeless…"

He was interrupted by Jared, "this is a matter for our people white-man."

Sam shook his head, "Jared, mind your tongue, Chris is family… he's half Quileute give him that much respect."

"I am a National Parks Ranger," Chris said, "a federal employee and I am charged with everyone's safety in the woods around here, that includes yours."

"You don't know what you are dealing with Mister Ranger," Paul said politely, "you best leave before you…"

"Before I what," Chris snapped back.

"Boys," Sam said, "we need to show the ranger some more respect."

Chris tugged at his collar as it seemed like the temperature had went up thirty degrees and Sam noticed that he was beginning to sweat profusely, "well since my attack scene has been trampled around by your…" he was starting to convulse due to the heat, his vision became extremely blurry. The Cullens were hunting nearby and he was in the presence of his tribe.

Sam remembered that his dad was killed in the last vampire conflict… his dad was a wolf, "Are you feeling ok cousin?"

"I don't know suddenly I just feel hot and weak," Chris said.

Jared looked with wide eye wonder, "No way he's a half-breed." Which got a very dirty look from Sam who had sat Chris down on a log and was removing his uniform shirt.

"You are burning up with fever Cousin you are in no shape to be investigating anything…" he said as he pointed to Jared… "Go get Carlisle Cullen and hurry." He said harshly.

"You will be alright Chris, you probably have the flu I'm getting you the best doctor out here in these parts." He said as Paul poured some bottled water on Chris's head. Sam was in total denial… it couldn't… he couldn't. "You are my cousin, my childhood best friend who was taken from me. I don't want to see you sick, or hurt."

Jared ran off and there was a sound of ripping clothes for a second and the pounding of two feet became four… Chris could hear it so clearly it was strange… he felt an air of electricity and tingling on his skin. It was almost intoxicating he looked at Sam, "maybe I've been drugged."

Sam thought it was a logical explanation, "so it seems cousin," he said "at least I hope that is what it is, or a virus or something."

Minutes pass by and Carlisle appears as if from nowhere making no sound, "what is wrong Sam," he asked?

The final transformation catalyst was the arrival of Carlisle… Chris had returned to his childhood home and was surrounded by the energies of the pack and the vampires since arrival… he seemed to have a small seizure and suddenly his body exploded into a large pony-sized blond wolf with icy blue eyes. He was suddenly aware of so much… and of other people.

Jared's voice thundered through his head, "the half-breed is a wolf… what are we going to do about that?"

Another voice rang through asking, "a half-breed?" It was Quil Ateara who was puzzled by the statement.

"I hear the Ranger was Sam's cousin," Embry Call chimed in from an unknown distance, "he does not know our ways, he is not one of us... what are we gonna do?"

Finally the voice of Jacob silenced them all, "folks we will deal with this… Sam told me about him… none of us knew that this was possible… but then again Renesme was not possible either. We need to take him in and teach him our ways… about the pack… and vampires."

This time Chris was puzzled, "Vampires," his voice said in his mind in a questioning tone that the rest of the wolves heard? Chris would never know privacy again as all his innermost thoughts are now shared with the pack.

Jacob's voice laughed, "yes Vampires…" he said, "Our good doctor is one before you. I'll leave Sam to explain as much as possible to you. Carlisle nodded and waved goodbye disappearing as fast as he appeared. Chris looked around through his wolf's eyes and the wolf whimpered then he turned to look at Sam and saw the most impressive jet black wolf.

The black wolf turned his head towards the woods, "come with me cousin… we have much to talk about…" the black wolf walked round him and sniffed him much like a dog would, "even your fur is too light… you would stick out in any fight, but I guess having a park ranger in the pack will help us keep our secrets… you are one of us now like it or not."

Chris had a bit of trouble coordinating the four paws but got the hang of it, he followed Sam into the clearing where Sam looked up at the moon and howled… several other wolves began to howl in the background and something within Chris seemed to overwhelm him. He pointed his head up to the sky and howled along with them, for the first time in a long time he felt family… even if the family reluctantly accepted him.

* * *

**Out of the Classroom**

Two more years. If she could just hold on two more years she would be done with veterinary school and finally able to make some money. Of course most of it would go to paying off her student loans, but at least this phase of her life would be over.

Tatiana finger combed her hair into her palm and snapped a clip over the knot. The late May weather was predictably damp with just enough wind to make an actual hairstyle out of the question. Not that it would matter - Tatiana loved her curly hair long but always tied it up. It was more convenient and it wasn't like she had anyone to impress. Not anymore anyway.

Just the opposite in fact. She was actively trying to duck any interest from a certain quarter...

Professor Matthew Jones had offered her the position as his assistant as part of her work-study. It paid better than working in the bookstore and was a lot more impressive for her resume. Of course it also was a lot more work - namely taking away her entire summer so she could follow him out into the woods to study the alarming (to zoologists at least) decrease in predators and resultant overpopulation of small ground animals. In the publish-or-perish world of professional academics it was a newsworthy story.

Tatiana wished she cared more. Or she wished she liked the professor more. Or better yet, that he was a little less... enthusiastic about the time they were going to spend in the woods together.

He had used part of his study grant buying a used sixteen-foot Airstream that came complete with drapes and plastic dishes. Tatiana had smiled and nodded when he had asked if it was perfect. She figured it was better than sleeping in a tent even if a tent might afford more privacy...

It was only three months, she told herself, turning onto the side road that lead into the Quileute reservation. Beside her Jones was babbling incessantly, practically bouncing in his seat as he pointed out one thing or the other. Reflexively, Tatiana nodded and murmured agreeably without really hearing whatever he was going on about. Honestly it was like a small, pour fishing village. The Quileute tribe did not even have a casino like the smarter tribes. Tatiana mentally sighed. It was going to be a long three months.

Or maybe not. Tatiana really didn't understand it. Jones had offered the tiny tribe an outrageous sum for what amounted to an RV site rental and hiking privileges. Yes they would be tagging some game and setting up cameras but they would do nothing that should have an impact on the ecosystem long-term. Besides they would no doubt be buying supplies and such. Overall it might not bring them wealth but still the tribe would only benefit. Jones had thought the meeting a formality. Tatiana shook her head as she drove home in the rain, Jones ranting beside her.

There had been something... odd about the Quileute council. The elder and spokesman - a wizened old man in a wheelchair named Billy Black - had listened politely, but his eyes and jaw had been stony. Beside him, one of the biggest men Tatiana had ever seen, sat like a body guard, hard but silent, regarding the two of them as if they were beneath notice. They had all deferred to Black. After Tatiana's PowerPoint presentation, Black had politely but firmly declined and dismissed the Council. Naturally, Jones had protested, eventually laying a hand on the old man's wheelchair and demanding explanations. But no excuse was offered. Jones had only backed off when the 250lb half-naked monster of a bodyguard had planted a firm hand on Jones' shoulder and offered to "help" them to the car. Tatiana had needed no further prompting.

As Dr. Jones bemoaned the "disaster" and cursed the Quileutes as backwards hillbillies Tatiana silently smiled to herself. Maybe the summer wouldn't be ruined after all. If she could just live through the rainy drive home with the dashboard-kicking, cursing, middle aged lunatic...

"You don't take rejection well, do you?" She finally interjected an hour into his increasing tirade. It was the first thing she had said since they had left the reservation.

He froze, looking at her as if she had slapped him. His narrow, pointed jaw tightened and then ground together.

Tatiana sighed and backpedaled. He was her boss after all. "So we will have to do the research on the public reserve. And isn't there another tribe just to the north...the Hookems or whatever?" She shrugged and gave him a forced smile intended to reassure. After all, it wasn't like the Quileute owed all of the Olympic peninsula.

"But the predators..." He started again, his voice sulky.

"Yeah..." She sighed. The areas immediately around the Quileute tribe had shown a remarkable decrease in large predators but the areas slightly farther out were reporting an influx. It would be hard to report on one without the other.

There was a lot of speculation on what could cause this: seismic activity, perhaps a decrease in prey, or even disease. The ecosystem was a miraculous and usually self-correcting organism. But why the changes? Why would predators who normally thrived on the Quileute land suddenly be fleeing or dying off?

"Maybe he will change his mind." Tatiana allowed with a small smile in his direction. Of course if he couldn't or wouldn't do the research without Billy Black's permission then that was good too. Professor Jones had proven to be a bit temperamental during this journey. Manic-depressive even. Not exactly an ideal companion for a summer camping in the woods.

Two weeks later they were headed back towards Forks, Airstream in tow behind a borrowed silver and blue 1991 GMC Sierra with an empty gun rack in the window. The engine seemed to groan under the weight, making the drive somehow feel like work. Tatiana had never driven anything like it. And with the driving rain and wind coming in from the Pacific the RV seemed to have a mind of its own. By the time they pulled up to the little diner just north of the little town her forearms were achy from the death grip she had maintained on the wheel during the long drive.

The little diner was quaint, a little run down maybe, and could really use a pressure wash, but it seemed popular. With a growing sense of unease Tatiana wondered if it was the only place in town and longed for a Starbucks.

Inside twenty odd patrons mingled, talking easily to each other and the waitress in a way that suggested a family meal. On the counter was a display with four honey-gold pies and one three-layer chocolate cake. That had to be a good sign, she decided.

Hey there folks, sit anywhere you want." The waitress called, waving an order tablet vaguely toward the emptier side of the room.

Prof. Jones skulked behind her and flopped into a window booth, legs akimbo, as if he had already had a hard day. Fortunately the speakers in the truck didn't work so he had brought his iPod, leaving Tatiana in peace. Even now she could hear the tinny sound of music coming from the ear buds. The right one dangled against his chest. Perhaps he would ignore her during lunch.

The omelet was delicious: gooey with cheese and fluffy from the pancake batter mixed into the eggs. The coffee was okay. She considered ordering pie, but decided to forgo the indulgence since the RV was full of junk food. After all, Pop Tarts and Little Debbie cakes wouldn't spoil. Who knew how often he would let them come in to town to eat?

"You folks passing through?" A deep voice asked from behind Tatiana, disturbing her reverie.

Her head whipped around to find a middle aged policeman with a bit of a gut standing practically over her shoulder. A gold name tag said "C. Swan". The other shoulder bore a badge that said "Sheriff". Tatiana craned her neck to stare up at him.

Dr. Jones introduced himself, and with a wave assigned her the role of his student without offering her name. Tatiana twitched at that, but did not interrupt.

"That your trailer, Dr. Jones?" It was clear from the Chief Swan's tone that the title meant more here than it did on campus.

The professor's eyes darted worriedly to her, out the window to the vehicle in question, and then with a scowl back to her. "Tatiana, did you park in a fire lane?" Clearly he intended to lay on her whatever misdeed the sheriff had come over to handle.

Before she could no more than shake her head in open-mouthed incredulity, Chief Swan interrupted, "She is a beaut! Where are you camping?"

That was all Dr. Jones needed. Some five minutes later the officer was obviously desperate to back out of the conversation, even to physically taking a few small steps back until his thighs jarred the empty table behind him. The movements of predators had seemed to interest him at first and he had warned them of some recent local attacks, but once Dr. Jones started in on lifecycles, breeding habits, and the overpopulation of small game, the slightly paunchy man's chocolate brown eyes had glazed over.

"Would you excuse me?" Tatiana slid out of the booth and made her own escape. Time to brush her teeth one last time in normal running water. She had never been camping but the hookups hadn't inspired confidence. Not for the first time she regretted taking this job.

When she exited the diner she found Chief Swan and another tall policeman with Dr. Jones talking about fishing. This seemed to be a much more interesting topic, at least for the two locals who had all sorts of advice. It was Jones' turn to look bored.

By time Tatiana dragged the Airstream into the campgrounds it was after 2pm. It took her several attempts to get the RV parked in the proper position so that they could reach the hookups. With some relief she had spied a fairly nice red brick building advertising showers and vending machines. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad.

Dr. Jones was fairly useless mechanically so Tatiana was left to decipher the hookups. The electric had been easy enough but the water lines were a different matter. She had stashed a pair of Playtex gloves just for this sort of thing, but the bright yellow rubber did little to help her secure the "gray" water to the line. Either she needed more strength or a wrench or some instructions... Why hadn't she thought to bring some tools? Because she didn't own any, that's why. Her low growl turned to a sigh of frustration as she turned and slumped against the RV.

Chris quietly walked up behind the young lady, "growling at it will not get it done." He said with a sly smile of amusement with her frustration. He knelt down and looked at the underbelly of the airstream, "you need some plumber's tape," he said as he rummaged through the open toolbox and got out the white Teflon tape roll and wrapped it around the threads. She politely got out of his way and gladly allowed him to take over. Chris then connected the cold potable water hose to the intake outlet and finger tightened it. He then hooked the grey-wastewater line up so that it would drain away from the trailer. He then put on a pair of the rubber gloves and hooked the sewage pipe up to the sanitary drain. "There you go... three easy steps and now you are ready." His eyes were blue, his hair was sandy blond and his skin pale white, yet he had similar facial structure of the Quileutes she had met before. He found the young lady quite interesting, "My name is Chris Uley, but the locals have started calling me Ranger Chris." He said as he extended his hand out to shake hers then realized that he was still wearing a messy rubber glove... "Oh, excuse me." He said as he took off the glove and offered his hand again.

Tatiana recovered quickly from the surprise of his presence. A man of his extraordinary size should sound like a buffalo not sneak about like a panther. She must have been concentrating harder than she thought.

He was beautiful. Blonde, blue eyed with pale skin, though his bone structure belied his coloring. Perhaps more peculiar was the dancer-like grace with which he moved. As he knelt to connect the sewer lines she pivoted as if in orbit, admiring the other side.

The uniform was made of the same sort of thick permanent-press fabric as Chief Swan's but in a green-on-green color scheme. As he knelt the britches molded themselves to his body, revealing the rest of him to be as well muscled as his bare forearms.

Before he finished she managed to pull herself together. "Ranger Chris," she echoed his self-conscious laugh over the gloves, dropping her eyes to his hands as he stripped free of the yellow plastic. Her teeth caught her lower lip as she slipped her fingers around his hot palm. Too hot. Her blue eyes flicked to his in surprise.

"Tatiana," she replied as her hand slipped from his. "And thank you," she nodded at the connections and gave him a nervous smile. "First time in the woods..." She gave an exaggerated little cringe. "Guess I have a lot to learn."

'Stupid, stupid, stupid...'

Chris smiled back, "the first thing that I have to teach you is never go out in the woods alone… especially after dark. There's been many wildlife attacks recently and there's safety in numbers." He looked around the campsite, "so that you don't attract bears make sure that you put all trash that has leftover food safely in the dumpster at the bottom of the road away from the campsite. Bears have been known to tear up cars and camping trailers to get to the food inside." He looked at the door on the trailer and it had the appropriate deadbolt lock. "Always lock that deadbolt even during the day while you are in the trailer. Make sure anyone that's with you has a key and they lock the deadbolt when you come in. If you are going to have any excess quantity of food in your car you are welcome to store it at the ranger station, we have a room that seals all scents in it so that it won't attract them." He looked around the trailer, "this one is an older model… it's made a lot better than the new ones… if you hear wildlife outside it's best to remain calm, it's when you panic they will try harder to get to you."

Chris was looking at this beautiful young lady she was not the usual girl from forks and she was quite attractive… he felt something swell and he promptly took his hat off and covered an erection, "again, if you need me I'll be right over there at the ranger station." He said as he pointed to a cabin across the way from the campsite.

Having never been good at deception, Tatiana's face was a transparent mask, revealing the effect is words had on her. Her first reaction was an almost childish outrage that he was forbidding her to walk in the woods alone. Then as he went on about the bears coming into the campsite, her eyes drifted away from him as if searching the nearby trees for large predators. She straightened at that, her arms folding behind her as her fingers slid into the back pocket of her jeans. It was a pose anyone who knew her well would know to mean she was making some connection. Her ears heard his warnings about deadbolts and excess food... but her mind was clearly on something else.

When he pointed to the cabin, her gaze followed the gesture, her teeth catching her lip for just a second before she turned back toward him with almost ferocious energy. Gone was the frustrated young woman, replaced by the research assistant that had spent months pouring over other people's data to write up the basis for Dr. Jones' work. "You have been having a problem with bears in the campsite itself?" She paused, head tilting a little as she stared at the ground, mind whirling. When she went on it was almost to herself. "They don't usually attack people unless they feel threatened. And most bear attacks don't wind up with the victim eaten, merely mauled. When bears show up in close proximity to lots of people," she gestured vaguely at the campsite, where maybe half a dozen campers and RV's were parked and beyond the restrooms half a parking lot full of vehicles from day visitors, "it's usually because their natural food sources are threatened or they have been driven from their homes by..." she paused again, seeking his gaze, "well, usually us. Not too many other predators threaten bears."

But of course he knew all this. He was a Park Ranger for crying out loud. She shook her head, took a breath and addressed him as she should have from the get-go... and might have if he hadn't found her sulking over the plumbing. "We are here to study the bears... and other predators: mountain lions, coyotes, and wolves. There have been recent studies showing that there has been a shift in the location and number of large predators away from the coast here toward the mountains, and an over-population of small game." She flinched and shrugged a little, anticipating that he would not be too thrilled with her next words. She found them ridiculous herself. "There have been reports of very large wolves in the area - I'm sure you heard the rumors - and my boss would love to be the first to 'discover' a new subfamily of Canini. That would certainly explain the other large predators migrating out of the area, though the reports of bear-size wolves sound fairly incredulous. And that doesn't explain the small game..." Pulling one hand out of her back pocket, she tapped the side of the silver RV. "I'm supposed to spend the next few days setting up cameras in the woods so we can try and track the wildlife."

Having never been good at deception, Tatiana's face was a transparent mask, revealing the effect is words had on her. Her first reaction was an almost childish outrage that he was forbidding her to walk in the woods alone. Then as he went on about the bears coming into the campsite, her eyes drifted away from him as if searching the nearby trees for large predators. She straightened at that, her arms folding behind her as her fingers slid into the back pocket of her jeans. It was a pose anyone who knew her well would know to mean she was making some connection. Her ears heard his warnings about deadbolts and excess food... but her mind was clearly on something else.

Chris felt bad as he immediately though that he insulted her intelligence… he watched the defiance in her face and his immediate thought was how adorable. He continued to hold his hat over his sensitive area as the whole display seemed to fan the proverbial flames.

When he pointed to the cabin, her gaze followed the gesture, her teeth catching her lip for just a second before she turned back toward him with almost ferocious energy. Gone was the frustrated young woman, replaced by the research assistant that had spent months pouring over other people's data to write up the basis for Dr. Jones' work. "You have been having a problem with bears in the campsite itself?" She paused, head tilting a little as she stared at the ground, mind whirling. When she went on it was almost to herself. "They don't usually attack people unless they feel threatened. And most bear attacks don't wind up with the victim eaten, merely mauled. When bears show up in close proximity to lots of people," she gestured vaguely at the campsite, where maybe half a dozen campers and RV's were parked and beyond the restrooms half a parking lot full of vehicles from day visitors, "it's usually because their natural food sources are threatened or they have been driven from their homes by..." she paused again, seeking his gaze, "well, usually us. Not too many other predators threaten bears."

"Why of course us…," he said and was immediately interrupted. Her tirade was absolutely adorable… her voice had a musical quality to it. She had fire and spirit… something he admired in a woman.

But of course he knew all this. He was a Park Ranger for crying out loud. She shook her head, took a breath and addressed him as she should have from the get-go... and might have if he hadn't found her sulking over the plumbing. "We are here to study the bears... and other predators: mountain lions, coyotes, and wolves. There have been recent studies showing that there has been a shift in the location and number of large predators away from the coast here toward the mountains, and an over-population of small game." She flinched and shrugged a little, anticipating that he would not be too thrilled with her next words. She found them ridiculous herself. "There have been reports of very large wolves in the area - I'm sure you heard the rumors - and my boss would love to be the first to 'discover' a new subfamily of Canine. That would certainly explain the other large predators migrating out of the area, though the reports of bear-size wolves sound fairly incredulous. _And _that doesn't explain the small game..." Pulling one hand out of her back pocket, she tapped the side of the silver RV. "I'm supposed to spend the next few days setting up cameras in the woods so we can try and track the wildlife."

The Ranger's deceptive skills were almost equally as bad, if not worse, than hers. "Yes there's bears and wolves and badgers and crazy raccoons out there as well… all would gladly bite or scratch you." He said with a boyish smile, "I haven't heard anything about bear-sized wolves though… and to be honest it sounds kind of storybook." He said brushing it off… of course Chris was not worried a bit at all about wolves, vampires on the other hand… "Look, I don't want that pretty face of yours scratched, bitten or otherwise messed up." There… he said it… truth. Suddenly a female voice boomed across the campground and Chris looked deeply at Tatiana his eyes were talking… and they said HELP ME!

'Pretty face?!' Tatiana couldn't help but grin, blushing eighty kinds of pink. On the one hand it was a terrible attempt at flattery, about as smooth as sand paper. And yet there was something charming about his artlessness. "Ranger Chris," a voice said that sounded like a thousand nails across a chalkboard. "Ranger Chris," it said again then suddenly a very unkempt young woman wearing a halter-top and cutoff jeans said as she came into view, "why don't you come by our camper tonight, we are grilling steak."

Chris smiled and said, "No thanks Kim." He looked at Tatiana, "I'm vegetarian."

"Ok," Kim said, "we have chicken?"

The problem that had sprung up in the olive green pants had suddenly disappeared and he put his hat back on. He turned to look at Tatiana, "I have a previous appointment." She would have been blind not to see the desperation in his eyes and prayed that she would come up with a plausible excuse to get away from this person.

The woman's appearance was a bucket of ice water to Tatiana's mood as well. How had she forgotten that they weren't alone? Already pink, she cleared her throat in embarrassment, feeling like a criminal, before steeling her spine and moving to meet the new comer. All embarrassment fled at that point, replaced by humor. Even from the small interaction it seemed obvious from the woman's dreamy look that she liked 'Ranger Chris'. This had Tatiana eyeing the big forest ranger again with more objective eyes. Of course, every woman who met him would have the same ridiculous reaction she had had. He probably counted on it to help him keep the peace. Had what she taken for artless flirting been more calculated? Suddenly she felt the fool. "Tatiana," she interjected, stepping toward the woman and holding out her hand. "We just arrived today." She indicated the Airstream with a nod of her head. "I'm guessing we are neighbors?" Though Kim clearly saw Tatiana, she chose to ignore her after a scathing glance. It was a cut-direct worthy of a regency duchess. Rather than be hurt or annoyed, Tatiana found it humorous and smoothly decided to aid the ranger. After all, she did owe him for hooking up the RV. Turning to half face him she graciously indicated Kim with a wave of the hand that had been extended to shake the older woman's. "I won't keep you from a delicious 'vegetarian' chicken dinner if you would rather..." She trailed off, working to contain her amusement as she finally took in the look of (what she took to be) panic and desperation on his chiseled face. The corners of her mouth twitched and she turned slightly further in his direction hoping Kim would not see through the game. "After all, we could always start our scouting tomorrow," she shrugged, beaming up at him. So which did he want least? Vegetarian chicken...or to take her into the woods at dusk? Not that she would hold him to it. But she couldn't help enjoying his discomfort just a little...

Chris smiled slyly at Tatiana, "Kim, I have to pass… I do appreciate the offer for dinner, but Tatiana is here to do some very serious scientific research. It's important enough that we have to meet this evening to go over maps of the forest where I can show her the animal attacks we have recently experienced. This is important not just for their research but the safety of all our park guests." That was 100% truth and the ranger sounded very official.

Kim stormed off from the two of them obviously she felt rejected, "Whew I dodge a bullet thank you."

Watching the retreating form, Tatiana just knew that that would not be the end of things with Kim. If she was not very much mistaken she had just made an enemy... How dangerous of an enemy to be seen. If only the woman were a little less... rustic looking, maybe Jones would take an interest. Well it was still worth a try. Though maybe sending her boss into the arms of an enemy wasn't her best play.

With a small sigh she turned her attention back to the rather rustic man beside her. Yes, women of all sorts would fight like cats for his attention. The realization that this was all like a cliché plot for an adult film... or horror movie... made her smile ruefully.

"Not a problem, though she will be back." Tatiana warned. "You might need to invest in a Billy club." She couldn't help but snicker at the image. Big as he was physically defending himself wasn't the problem. It was how to do it without sending his admirers running to his boss with complaints.

Diplomatically, the hunky forest ranger chose not to comment.

"I hope you like spaghetti…" he said, "vegetarian Puttanesca sauce, my mother's recipe." Chris was raised vegetarian but since his first change he has been drawn to the smell of meat and his body seemed to crave it. "Coupled with a nice Caesar salad that should give us a boost to go for a hike before sundown."

He was asking her to dinner? On the one hand she couldn't help beaming at him. But before she could comment a more likely motive stuck her. How did they put it in that British TV show? 'Come over, I'll cook,' really meant 'let's have sex, I'll cater.'

The result was that in the few seconds it took her to answer her face went from joy to suspicion to a sort of wary resignation. Handsome as he was, and as flattered as she was by the invitation, she wasn't going to sleep with him.

But the project would be so much easier with him. And truly she simply wanted to know more about him. "Vegetarian, huh?" She never would have guessed it, looking at him. He definitely looked more carnivore than herbivore. "What time?"

Chris was embarrassed it sounded like he was making a major pass at her… Damn! "Yeah, it's healthier not to eat meat, and the animals sure appreciate it." He said with a kind smile, "I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression… seriously I made a lot of sauce and it's been cooking in the crock pot. I usually have friends that love to eat it. I can't make a small batch and I found that the deep freeze in the cabin was used to store dead animals found in the forest that are sent to the University for Dissection… I don't think I want to put anything I intend to eat in it… ever!"

She waved away his concerns, glad as she was for them. The idea of a man cooking - well, she had to see that just to believe it. Cringing at the idea of keeping food, she wrinkled up her nose in an exaggerated expression of disgust. She had dissected more than her share of animals as part of her training, but unlike some of her classmates had never gotten so comfortable as to be able to eat over the specimens.

He sighed, "I have enough you can take to the professor when he gets back I'm sure he would appreciate a home cooked meal." He looked at his watch, "I am actually off duty now and while this uniform makes me look authoritative, it's rather itchy, hot and uncomfortable. Let me go home, shower and change into some civvies and meet me there in a half an hour. There are maps on the walls there that show all the attacks and where the large animals have been observed."

"He might at that, thank you," she nodded. Honestly she wasn't certain how she was going to finesse Dr. Jones' into letting her have the evening off, but a gift of food couldn't hurt. "And I'd love to see the maps. The attack sites might prove good places to put the cameras..." Knowing she would need to go check out the public showers, she warned him with a parting wave, starting toward the RV's door, "It might be closer to an hour... I hope that's okay?"

He smiled, "Perfect… everything will be ready when you get there. I look forward to learning more about your project." With that he spun on his heal and walked towards the ranger's cabin up on the hill.

* * *

_****__**Please let me know if we should continue with this let me know if you Love it? Hate it? Either way, please post a review. It is most appreciated!**_


	2. Dinner and a Hike

Dr. Jones had sulked when Tatiana explained that she had been invited to share dinner with the ranger. It had been a sticky minefield and in the end she had wound up promising not to make any future arrangements without consulting him first. She was, after all, on the job, not out on vacation.

That settled, there had been the matter of what to wear. Mindful that she did not want to give the wrong impression, and that they intended to go hiking later, she opted for jeans and hot pink Nike's. The humidity did bad things to her hair and she wound up with it in a ponytail though she made an attempt to curl it. The early afternoons were usually rainy and it hadn't quite quit when she knocked on his door, a six pack of bottled domestic beer in her right hand.

Chris came to the doorway wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a white t-shirt with a dark blue button up worn loosely as a jacket and hiking boots… he looked totally different off duty as he had his hair pulled into a tight pony tail in Uniform, but off duty he wore it loose.

"Come in," he said as there were two places set at the small dinette table that occupied a corner of the combined kitchen, living room, office of the cabin. He took the six pack of beer and smiled, "well this is definitely vegetarian" and he placed it in the refrigerator to chill. There were maps all over the wall one had pins with all the recent animal attacks. Chris knew that animals had nothing to do with the attacks… they were really vampire attacks… made to look like wildlife had attacked.

Honestly she hadn't known what to expect, but somehow this space caught her off guard. Maybe it was the idea of a man cooking, really cooking. The air was fragrant with the smell of fresh garlic bread and tomato sauce. The garlic was an interesting choice, she mused, trailing him toward the kitchen area after a very short, nosy stop to glance over one of the maps pinned to the wall. What a pity renting a cabin hadn't been in Dr. Jones' budget. Of course, when he had bought the Airstream he had thought they would be camping in La Push.

"I hope you don't mind vegetarian cooking," he said as he scooped two servings of pasta out of one pot and then two servings of sauce out of another pot. There was fresh grated Parmesan cheese on the table along with fresh garlic bread baked from scratch. "Cooking is the one thing that I think keeps me sane sometimes. There's a lot of peace to be found in a kitchen."

"Vegetarian chicken, right?" She grinned at him, then added with gratitude, "I could not tell you when last I had a home cooked meal." The admission sounded lame even to her own ears. The truth that she barely bothered making anything fancier than ramen or boxed macaroni and cheese was probably best kept a secret.

Not only could he cook, but he also set a nice table. And while the cabin wasn't fancy, it was tidy and not without some decoration. It felt like... a home. Somehow that realization made Tatiana feel both childish and lonely. She had to shake it off as she settled herself, spreading the napkin across her lap, and marveling at the spread. How had he had time? They had been parted for maybe 45 minutes?

He took a bite of the spaghetti as he gazed into her eyes, she was very attractive his mom would not object to her…he was grateful that she rescued him from Kim today… he wanted a lady that he could have an intelligent conversation with… good looking was a bonus after that. "So tell me, why are you out here in the middle of nowhere when someone with your talents could be doing so much more." He said meaning it as a high compliment.

Smothering a disbelieving snort, she blushed and poked at the salad. Spaghetti was a socially awkward food, and she would just have to try and imitate his technique. "Talents?" She shook her head. "Two more years and I'll be barely qualified to practice as a vet. No, this project is Professor Jones' brain child. I think he is hoping those giant wolves are real, but will settle for enough data to ask more pointed questions. He can always continue the research later, as a multi-year study." She gave him a little shrug. "I am just earning extra money and padding my résumé as his assistant." Her gaze flickered to the map with all the little pins in it, her teeth catching her lower lip in thought. "Those are recent attacks? On humans?" She was no forest ranger but it seemed like a lot even for a decade.

"Yes, I am very concerned with you being in the woods… we have had some vicious attacks lately. I don't want to see you harmed in any way." He was speaking from the heart this time, "I…" he struggled for the words and wanted to tell her simply that he liked her but somehow they got stuck in his throat. "I know in my heart you are destined for great things." He blushed as he felt something stirring deep within him emotionally… what is wrong with him he wondered, no one has stirred him so deeply before.

Her smile was as ironic as it was instantaneous. "Great, but terrible things," she snickered. Not knowing if he would get the reference she nudged, "Harry Potter? The wand maker commented about Voldemort... oh..." She brushed the rest of the thought aside, finishing with, "So, what brings you out here?" He couldn't be much older than she was and while she didn't know what education was required to become a forest ranger, she imagined carrying that gun took more than on-the-job training. It wasn't hard to imagine Ranger Chris as a Marine.

Chris smiled, "My mom moved back to Boston when dad passed away… she wanted to get as far away from this place as she could and all my life I just wanted to come back. You see I am ½ white man and ½ Quileute… unfortunately neither group actually accepted me." He used a fork and knife to cut the salad in small manageable bites. "After my mom passed the only family I have in the world is on that reservation in La Push… and they don't exactly welcome outsiders… me included, even though I am on the tribal rolls." He looked kind of sad, "Sam Uley is my cousin, his dad was my uncle and he was my closest childhood friend. We wrote letters back and forth until I turned 14 and I guess it was too childish to continue we both stopped. I have been drawn here all my life… I figured this job would get me back to my family… and the woods I grew up in." A sad moment of reflection came across his face as he thought yeah, the woods where my dad was killed. He finished his salad and sprinkled some Parmesan on the top of his spaghetti, "oh… I eat dairy and eggs… just no meat. I'd like to hear more about you… my story is too sad, lonely and boring."

Salad finished, Tatiana made a game attempt at twirling two strands of spaghetti around her fork as she spoke, shaking her head at her plate. "I'm sorry about your parents. You must miss them a lot." It was sad, though not so much boring. What would it be like to have a family she was proud of, that she missed? But that line of thought lead places she did not want to go - not even alone. Deciding to steer clear of the parental minefield, she asked, "What does your cousin think of you being a vegetarian?"

"My cousin doesn't even hardly know me anymore… no one will talk about my Dad he died in the woods," Chris is beginning to figure out why… his dad was a shifter too. "Mom hated La Push and had to move to the other coast to get away from it. She converted to vegetarianism and new age stuff when I was six. I tried to keep my native heritage, I refused to cut my hair and that's why I didn't become a cop or military… the forestry service does not care." He beamed a smile, "after 2-3 years of vegetarianism you lose the enzymes and ability to easily digest meat and animal fat. I'm game to try it… but it will make me a bit unsociable if you know what I mean." However since he phased into the wolf the first time all he's craved is meat when he smelled it.

She never spoke of her family if she could help it, especially with anyone she liked. "I came up here for school because of all the places I applied, they offered the most financial aid." And it was far from home. "In a few years, hopefully I'll find a clinic that could use an extra pair of hands. Treat family pets, give vaccinations, clean teeth, spay and neuter..." she shrugged again. In truth it didn't sound that interesting, but it would give her more financial security than she had ever had, and her first goal would have to be to pay off her student loans while making enough money to live on her own. "Maybe a rural clinic where they treat farm animals too. I really love big animals." Her eyes lit up in memory. "We have a Great Dane that lives with one of the professors and he goes with her everywhere. He's just the biggest, sweetest boy." Her eyes lit up like a proud parent. "He likes to lean though, so you have watch him or he will pin you to a wall trying to cuddle."

He smiled as he expertly wound the spaghetti on the tines of his fork using a piece of garlic bread to prevent making a mess all over the place. "I love pets," he said as he though if only you knew about the big animals that are right here in La Push. "We don't have a vet that I know of in Forks, this town does not seem like it's a bad place to settle."

City girl that she was, she had to suppress a cringe. But Forks was exactly the kind of rural town that would offer her the chance to treat a variety of creatures. Surely in small town America there would be a more favorable big dog to cat ratio at the least! Wanting to stay positive, she gave him a grin and waggled her eyebrows like a vaudeville villain, "The diner has pie; and there is some amazing spaghetti to be had... "on a more serious note," she added thoughtfully, "And if the rumors of Titanic wolves proves true, this place will be crawling with 'Dr. Joneses' trying to bag and tag a specimen." It wasn't until the words were out of her mouth that she realized the truth of them. The thought was horrendous. Ranger Chris would have his hands full just trying to keep the zoologists from killing each other.

"Hopefully it won't come to that," he said as he gathered up his plate and dirty dishes taking them to the sink. "I have heard stories as a child on the reservation that the big wolves that you are seeking are magical… and only come out in times of danger for the Tribe. The Quileutes also believe that there are windego and other monsters that roam the woods." He playfully slurped the last bit of his spaghetti, "who knows vampires may be just as real as the giant wolves in the woods." It was his hope that the stories would both amuse her and deliver a veiled warning of what actually lurked in the woods.

But all she heard was a clever and charitable attempt to deliver the truth: Three or four hundred pound wolves were about as likely as the Loch Ness monster. She took the out. "Who knows? Though I have to admit, the little girl in me would loooooove a 400lb doggie." The images that brought up! "Imagine bathing it!" With a delighted giggle, she crooned, "Taking it on walks! Best running buddy ever. Not only would a girl not have to worry about getting mugged, everyone would clear the sidewalk!" She could just see grown men climbing trees and locking themselves in their cars to get away from such a beast. "And no need for a house alarm. One "woof", and even the bravest criminal would run like hell. Can you imagine the bark such a creature would have?" He was gonna think her touched in the head, she mused with a sigh. "I guess Dr. Jones wasn't the only one hoping for magic. It doesn't hurt that it would explain the phenomena with the wildlife."

"No doubt," he said "It would be quite frightening, however I'm sure a Great Dane would also be an impressive burglar alarm and protector."

She had barely touched the spaghetti other than to pick the larger bits of sauce out. Nonetheless it sat forgotten as she stood and, indicating the maps, asked, "May I?" This was important. This was why she was here, both in the woods and in Ranger Chris' cabin. "Easier to explain on the map." She moved to the map with all the pins, leaning into it as her fingers moved over the text. "So this is La Push, right?" Not needing confirmation, her finger trailed east and north to the Mora campground, "And we are about... here?" She indicated the entrance to the park, though that was actually a few miles away. "This is one of the most heavily hiked areas in Washington, with three million tourists and local folk like coming through each year. A lot of 'em are bird and wildlife watchers, many scientists. And everyone loves an oddity. And you know what is odd about this area?" She turned to glance at him, but did not wait for a response before turning back and gesturing over the area around La Push and Forks. "The animals have gone weird. The large predators have died or left, the small rodents are out of control. It's as if the area has been over hunted, and yet," as a park ranger his job would be to police the hunters and she did not want to think she thought him to blame. "That isn't what we see. Instead, we see this." She indicated the pins. "Something is hunting the hunters." Turning her back on the map she looked at him imploringly, her voice almost a whisper. "Whatever it is that is causing this could be HUGE... scientifically. Dr. Jones is hoping it makes his career, though he'll settle for something to get the chancellor off his back."

"I have noticed that there are a lot of bunnies out there… but bunnies will do what bunnies do," he said playfully twitching his nose. "My theory is we have some large Kodiak Bears or even perhaps a hybrid of a polar bear that's moved in the area. The winter was unusually cold this year. You might be disappointed if you don't find a pony sized wolf, but you might find a large bear."

"Dr. Jones doesn't know about the attacks yet, at least he hasn't said anything to make me think he has connected it." Indicating the map, she added, "He hasn't seen this, but he when it does he will leap to the same conclusion I did. It is only logical." Even as she said it though the self-doubt crept in. Who knew what Dr. Jones would think? And she was just a student.

Chris thought that she was very intuitive so he was careful what he said. "All the more reason not to panic the older gentleman," he said as he stood behind her his baritone voice was very soothing and honest. "There's an old saying that my Mom always said… fools rush in where angels fear to tread. The only element that I have on these maps that I don't understand is how long a time-frame they cover. I've only been here about a week just before the other ranger disappeared in the woods never to be found again. I was to be the assistant ranger, but now I'm the acting ranger on duty. The Quileutes say that a windego got him… the townsfolk's theory is that he had a gambling problem and has fled to Canada." Chris shrugged, "I don't know why he would want to leave all of this behind." As he waived his hands around the cabin. He began to pack up some small items for their hike… he had a backpack that was packed and ready for a night hike everything in it clean and new. He had his service weapon in a concealed holster and felt confident that this would be an uneventful night. He was going to walk her through one of the safest trails of the woods, however he knew the La Push wolves would be watching from a distance.

So it could be decades or days? Tatiana frowned at the map. Maybe the local police would know. Surely they were concerned with the ranger's whereabouts. Still, she wasn't sure it was even her business to pry. Deciding instead to enjoy the rest of their evening, she turned, only to find him across the room. She opened her mouth to congratulate him on his new job, but decided on the intake that that would be an awkward thing to say and closed her mouth on a small sigh.

* * *

The ranger walked side-by side with Tatiana down the trail that led into the meadow where the Cullens often played baseball. "The woods are beautiful during twilight." He said keenly aware that the Quileute wolves were watching him from a distance. He could not read their thoughts… but he knew by a deeper connection that they were there.

The wolves communicated behind his back, "Looks like peaches has a lady friend," Embry said.

"Leave them alone, they are cute together," Leah Clearwater interjected her female point of view, "I think Ranger Chis is quite attractive and so what if his wolf has golden fur… he's still part of us and we should be a bit nicer to him."

Seth snipped, "He's a half-breed, he will never be one of us we should never trust him. What if he imprints on one of our women… what if he breeds outside of the tribe he could give our wolf gift to the white people?"

Sam Uley's voice boomed in everyone's head, "He's my cousin and he is an honorable man." But not even Sam considered the possibility of imprinting… and what that would mean to Chris. Sam told him a lot about the Quileutes… but he did not get to imprinting and from what he was seeing he definitely liked this woman.

Chris observed her shiver and he took off the backpack and unzipped it handing her a grey fleece hoodie, "I brought this just in case… the temperature drops in the evening," he said with a smile, "perhaps we could take a break in this clearing and enjoy a little fire to warm us." He quickly arranged a fire circle with some rocks selected a couple small pieces of wood and tended to it until it was giving out some warmth. He got out of the bag a box of graham crackers, some Hershey bars and marshmallows. "We always can find time for s'mores." He watched as her face lit up like something magical.

Seth could hear them from a distance… "Oh barf!" He bemoaned to the others as he suddenly became aware that there was something else stirring nearby… something hungry… something dangerous.

Was it totally childish that she had been disappointed to discover the hoodie smelled of fabric softener? Maybe. Had she really expected Mr. Domestic to bring her a dirty hoodie? He was too thoughtful by half, she thought, shooting him a sideways glance.

"Dinner AND dessert, impressive," somehow this had gone from a casual thing to feeling like a real first date. She watched his hands as he assembled the fire, admiring the skill with which he worked. With the near constant rain everything was wet. Come to think about it, there was something too graceful, too quick about every move he made. For someone maybe a foot taller than her and maybe what, 200lbs? He was almost lithe.

Chris put some marshmallows on a stick and handed it to Tatiana to roast them, "so tell me why you are so willing to risk your neck out in these woods?" He really wanted to know as she did not appear to be one to take risks. "Not that I'm complaining I sure am enjoying your company." He blushed after he realized that slipped out.

He had asked the same question before, and of course she had told him all about the study. Maybe he didn't believe that was all there was to it? Maybe the lure of scientific discovery and possibility discovering a new breed of predator wasn't enough in his eyes. Well if she really believed it was life threatening she supposed it wouldn't be to her either.

She did not answer right away, staring at the bobbing marshmallow at the end of the stick she held. There was another possibility that occurred to her, far-fetched as it seemed. Maybe he knew what was going on in the forest. Maybe it wasn't a new predator or earthquakes that were chasing the large animals away. Maybe it was the old horror that too often happened to creatures.

Chris looked at her expectantly, he hoped somehow she knew a bit about the world he just recently stepped in. He had only changed to wolf once and it has shaken him to his core… it was the stuff of nightmares… shape shifters, vampires, and God only knows what else are out there… perhaps witches even, could she be one. He shook his head and thought no it is not possible… there are no such things as witches.

She wondered if friendly, handsome Ranger Chris was in on it… just as he wondered if this beautiful young research assistant knew more than what he did about the world around him.

It was a notion fit only for a bad horror film and she sought to dismiss it. Shooting him a sidelong glance, she unfolded her legs and stood. How she wished she had the social graces she had witnessed in others. She needed an excuse to get back. She needed to think.

Chris was suddenly keenly aware that there was something in the woods other than the La Push wolves… he was glad she stood up… he wanted to get her back to the safety of the civilized campground. No vampire would dare attack a place that would have so many witnesses… or at least he hoped now.

She needed to divert suspicion. Whether her crazy idea was true or not she did not want him to know what she was thinking.

Conversely, he needed to figure out a bogus reason to get her back to the campground… something that would stir her suspicions. He mused, why is this beautiful, intelligent young lady so blindly willing to traipse around the woods if she didn't know something. How he wish he could talk to Sam in his mind while he was a man not a wolf.

He would either be offended or would laugh at her.

Taking a deep breath, she asked with genuine concern, indicating the darkness of the trees at the edge of the clearing, "How dangerous is it out here... really?"

He had two options, tell her vaguely that there were animals out there that could hurt her… or tell her the truth… a truth about the world he just stepped in. She would either laugh at him… take offense to it… or go swear out a mental inquest warrant and have him committed to an insane asylum. He told to tell her the truth… to a point.

"Tatiana," Chris said, "I will only say that there is a world out there that is meant for man to stay away from." His eyes stared at hers beaming intense honesty. "This forest IS dangerous," he said emphasizing the word is… "There are things out there that can either kill you or forever change you in ways unimaginable… they are always watching and aware... and if anything happened to you." His heart fluttered as if to skip a beat, "I would never be able to forgive myself." There was a moment in the twilight where the moon seemed to make his fair skin glow and his ice blue eyes seemed more radiant in the pale moonlight… he stared intensely into her face his soul laid bare in that moment, "all I ask is to trust me. These woods are no place for you to be alone… I don't think there is anything I can do to keep you out of them so if you must do your research please try to work with me and I will help you the best I can. At least let me take you to the Gun range and teach you how to shoot."

* * *

_**Please let me know if we should continue with this let me know if you Love it? Hate it? Either way, please post a review. It is most appreciated!**_


	3. Another Body

Deep in the woods in a dark and damp cave Ranger Adams was chained to the wall much like a dungeon prisoner in medieval times a female voice spoke in the darkness, "soon the moon would be full and adopt you as one if her children." A torch was lit and there was a tray of food and an old mason jar full of water. "Eat, you will need your strength."

Ranger Daryl Adams looked down on his forearm he feared that he would soon lose his arm to infection as when he awakened in this cave of misery he found that he had a nasty animal bite. He was not certain, he estimated that he has been there about two weeks… animal bites usually get festered and worse within two days, however this one was healing... he looked at the metal tray of food it was all rare meat… dripping with blood. He knelt on the floor and ate it… he was ravenous and it was delicious… the meat was from a recent kill and it mattered not to Daryl neither where or what it came from.

"Good," the female voice said with a Hungarian accent, "eat it all… it's what you need, my name is Ramona and soon you will be just like me and nothing else will matter."

"My name is Daryl, and if you have more I am so hungry," he pleaded, "can I please have some more."

The woman stepped into his view, "you are going to be magnificent my dear Daryl… eat... eat all you want and I will get you some more… I will have to go hunting again tonight."

* * *

No sooner than the alarm went off in the Ranger's Cabin Chris woke up… he was a bit miffed at how flippant Tatiana was about the dangers in the woods… he did everything he could to warn her and pleaded for her to be careful and what did she do… throw the roasted marshmallow stick and all into the fire and stormed off like a stubborn child. He was worried about her… strangely he could not get that woman out of his mind no matter what he tried to do. He was attracted to her fire… her defiance… he knew she could do anything that she put her mind to. He took some comfort in that knowing she was resilient… a survivor.

The phone rang and he answered it, his voice crackled due to just waking, "Hello".

Sheriff Swan was on the other line, "Ranger, I need you to meet us at the boat docks we have had another animal attack."

"Another?" He asked, his mind going immediately to images of Tatiana slain in some horrible manner. "Who is it?"

Charlie sighed, "Some tourist… he had taken his boat out of the water and it appears that he was attacked last night before he could leave the docks."

Chris wrapped his mind around the word _he_… what a relief that it was a he and not a she. "I'll be down there in a few minutes after I get some breakfast… would you like me to bring you a smoothie."

"No thank you," Charlie answered, "I had a massive breakfast at the diner this morning with Bella and Renesme… I certainly thank you for the offer."

"See you soon," Chris said as he hung up… he put yogurt, berries, and some mixed fruit into his vitamix and blended it well… poured it in a go-cup and grabbed his keys… it wasn't long until he got to the boat docks. The local coroner was from the La Push reservation… a member of the Quileute tribe. Chris figured out that's how they were keeping the animal attacks censored. He looked at Charlie and the coroner and said, "I want to see the corpse."

The coroner looked at Charlie nervously, "I've already secured the body and it's ready for transport."

Before Sheriff Swan could respond Chris smiled, "I'm a federal Park Ranger and have authority above local government… I want to see the body… NOW," he added firmly.

"He is within his rights," Charlie said, "but be ready not many men can stomach this level of carnage."

Chris only nodded and watched as the coroner unzip the body bag… he paid close attention to the body and noticed that it appeared much as if it was field dressed by a hunter. "This was no animal attack," Chris said, "yes there are bites and scratches, but look at how the gut was cut… this man was butchered… for meat."

Charlie took a deep breath and put his arm around the Ranger's shoulders… "I know that you know about Bella," he said with a pause, "and I know that you are the same as Jacob and Sam."

Chris swallowed, "and the Cullens?"

"Vampires," Charlie said… "all of them." The Coroner nodded in agreement.

"Then what is this," the ranger asked?

"We don't know son," Charlie said. "But whatever this is, I fear that Ranger Adams got to close. Daryl was a good friend and I'm certain that if something happened to him we would have found his body by now. Whatever that is doing this is mean… and whatever it's doing it's not trying very hard to cover its tracks."

Chris looked at the coroner, "and what do you think it might be?"

The Quileute Coroner only said, "Windego… a flesh eater."

Immediately his mind flashed to Tatiana… his stomach bottomed out and his heart seemed to skip a beat. He knew that she would be defiant and go in the woods to place cameras… he asked himself why did he care so much… why did it matter… but the only thing that he could acknowledge is that his soul would be utterly and completely destroyed if something happened to her.


	4. An Encounter in the Woods

A lot of her aggravation and lack of coordination was sleep deprivation. She had not slept well the night before this misadventure had gotten started and then last night... Well, when she had gotten back from her 'date' Professor Jones had been sound asleep and so she had done her best not to wake him. Her RV 'bed' was the narrow bench for the dining table, not quite five feet long, even accounting for the right angle. He had kindly left her pillow and blanket on the bench and she had decided to sleep in her damp jeans. Not that she did so much sleeping. The night was full of noises, not the least of which was Jones' snoring. And her mind just ground over and over at Ranger Chris' words: "...there is a world out there that is meant for man to stay away from... There are things out there that can either kill you or forever change you in ways unimaginable… trust me."

Trust him… trust him? She hadn't known what to say, and after an interminably long silence during which she had opened and closed her mouth like a fish and brandished the marshmallow-tipped stick like child, she had finally dropped it into the fire and told him she needed to get back. She hadn't waited for him to smother the fire or repack his bag of tricks, but had just stomped off the the direction they had come, oozing indignation, disbelief, anger, confusion, and maybe most of all fear. It had been stupid and childish and she had spent most of the uncomfortable, damp night reliving it over and over.

She woke up before dawn with her head throbbing like she had bad hangover, the air in the RV was stuffy and stank of mildew. After a bit tossing and turning she decided to get up and get to it. The sun was soon to rise and the quicker she started placing cameras the sooner she could be back - maybe take a hot shower and nap in the afternoon when Professor Jones was out. Her goal was to place three cameras as their goal was to have eight and she would have liked to accomplish placing for only her backpack could only carry three with everything else needed to hike the terrain. Besides, the battery packs in their weather-proof containers were heavy.

It would have been better to have had the Ranger's map of the recent attacks, but she had always had a relatively good sense of direction and a very good memory. So she had taken the truck to the second trail-head and headed northwest toward the ocean. A few of the pins had been this direction.

So the landscape was beautiful, and she could see the appeal that brought three million or so hikers and campers to the area. Spread below her was a beautiful depression, devoid of trees, but filled with ferns. On the far edge three deer could be seen grazing. She could smell the ocean, so it could not be much farther.

"Ugh," Tatiana exclaimed as the earth gave way beneath her right foot as if in some horrible nightmare about man-eating plants. A sudden pinching had her cursing again, though this time not nearly as under her breath as when she had nearly fallen out of the tree two hours earlier. Clearly traipsing around the forest was a lot harder than she might have previously expected. Who knew there were man-eating roots or that every surface would be covered with moss and mud so slick it felt like walking on banana peels? She jerked her entire body to pull her foot free and succeeded, but the tangle of roots, sticks and vines prized off her pink Nike. Stupid shoe had been wet and muddy anyway.

"Ughhhhrrrrr," she groaned as she dropped to her hands and knees she pulled at the vegetation her foot had fallen through and managed to hook a shoelace. "Great," she hissed, sitting up and pushing the backpack straps from her shoulders. In the three hours she had been out here she had placed only two cameras. Two, and who knew if she would even be able to find the little suckers again to retrieve them or the footage. First things first though. First she had to get her shoe.

Five minutes seemed to pass as she freed her shoe from the death grip of the roots, it was both frustrating and tiring. If only she purchased more rugged foot like the expensive leather boots she saw at the camping store she would have been able to navigate the terrain better. At the time it seemed like a ridiculous indulgence to purchase such expensive boots that looked anything but comfortable she found that wet sneakers were pretty miserable and her ankle was raw where it was scraped. The low-cut socks she wore with them offered no additional protection. Perhaps once were placed she wouldn't need to come out here much. The batteries should last about a week, depending on how often the motion detector was tripped.

Her soggy shoes made a squish-squish noise as she picked her way downhill toward the clearing, hanging on to everything available, now she realized the value of the hiking staff. She figured that the clearing wouldn't be a bad place to film, or would it? That thought brought her up short and she spun in a slow circle, looking for a place high enough to be safe from human discovery and yet easily enough accessible that she could get up there. Having done this twice already she had a much better idea of how high she could climb and it was only about ten minutes before she was straddling a branch about eight feet from the ground, her back against the damp trunk. She admired the view and muttered, "How beautiful", it amazed her just how much the forest's beauty actually was.

She tied the backpack to a rope, which she had thrown over the branch so that she did not have to climb with it. After pulling it up, she started to dig out the equipment. This too was faster now that she knew what she was doing. Honestly, she should go redo the straps on the first one, but knew it would have to wait for another day. The battery pack was the hardest part to secure because it was so heavy and really poorly designed for this use. Still, in ten more minutes she was sitting with the portable screen held between her thighs, fiddling with the optics while eating a granola bar. She zoomed in until she could see the deer clearly, even to counting the points on the buck, then panned across, just looking at what there was to see.

There was an abundance of ferns, moss, and trees as far as the eye could see. She realized that the forest definitely would be terrifying at night. All the pamphlets had warned against being out here alone even during the day and as she pointed that out the professor had scoffed at her and asked her if she was really scared. At the time she had been tweaked by his ridicule, but after the Ranger's veiled warning, "...there is a world out there that is meant for man to stay away from... There are things out there that can either kill you or forever change you in ways unimaginable… trust me."

Chris made his way under her skin his words lodged into her sleep-deprived brain. Maybe she should take a little nap here, before heading all the way back. And the trailer had no appeal whatsoever other than a source for dry clothes. She tucked the monitor away folded herself forward onto her backpack, pulling the hood of a green raincoat over her head. Her hands and feet dangled on either side of the branch like some sort of big lazy cat. It really wasn't comfortable. The equipment poked into her ribs and her hands were going numb, but somehow moving would just take too much work. She couldn't close her eyes for long - every noise seemed threatening - but she really could not see much with the plastic hood falling over her face.

She would just rest. Just for a few minutes. Just...a...few...more...

Moments later a tiny woman with a pixie haircut emerged from the woods, "Excuse me ma'am," she said politely. "Why are you out placing cameras on our land?" Alice said with a kind but firm voice with an odd supernatural musical quality to it as she looked down at the strange girl's feet and sighed, "and you shouldn't be out in the woods in sneakers and ankle socks… do you want to be eaten up with poison ivy or something?" Alice took a few steps closer to examine the girl who was exhausted and staring back at her.

Tatiana thought at first she had to be dreaming. It was a pleasant dream with wind chimes that spoke only to her. But the odd shape of the tree branch kept her from truly believing. Her blue eyes opened just a hair, then wide as her head then torso came up in jerky movements. "Whaaa?" She started, shook her head, and just stared. Below her was a child-sized woman, maybe her age? Maybe younger. It was hard to say. She was perfect. She had to be a mirage.

"I see you are looking for something," Alice said as she read the young woman, "and find it you will… and so much more." She looked at the one of the cameras that she placed in a tree. "That's a nice camera, but ours are better…" Alice said as she pointed up a tall tree that had a state of the art solar powered pan-tilt-zoom automated camera. "You never know when someone is going to trespass on your property."

The woman seemed to be almost talking to herself, which was good. It filled the awkward space while Tatiana just gaped at her. "I umm... didn't know I was trespassing. I thought I was still on public grounds." Lamely, she dug the map from her backpack. It really wasn't any help though since she clearly was not where she thought she was.

"Perhaps my family can help you find what you are seeking," She said, "my father… Carlisle is a doctor, you should come to the hospital and have your feet checked out… they don't look too well and if you have poison ivy, oak or sumac he can treat it there and prevent it from spreading too badly."

"They are mostly just muddy." Tatiana replied, kicking her feet out so that she could see them. The one shoe was unrecognizable. "The kid at the camping store tried to get me to buy boots. I guess I should have."

"Perhaps we can go shopping sometime and pick you out some decent hiking boots… if you are going to be out in the woods you need proper shoes… and a few other things I can think of that will make it better for you."

It was like making friends with an overeager puppy. She did not even know the girl's name and suddenly they were planning shopping trips. Pulling the knife out of her bag she cut the zip ties holding the camera and put the assembly away before lowering the backpack to the ground. "People ARE different in small towns," she muttered to herself. "Thank you," she offered, swinging over the branch until her toes dangled just above the ground. "For not shooting the trespasser." That thought quirked the corner of her mouth. "The Forest Ranger warned me the forest was dangerous. I thought he meant bears." Not the fashion police, she finished mentally. "Not man-eating roots or property owners." That thought made her think of Billy Black and the Quileute Council. She doubted they would be as friendly if they had caught her setting cameras on tribal lands.

Alice chuckled as she rolled her beautiful caramel brown eyes, "dangerous things in the woods… my dear friend, I'm probably one of the most dangerous things you will face out here." Alice had a premonition… a feeling that this girl will indeed become a very dear friend, a most trusted human. She saw the goodness in this young woman and knew that their paths will now intertwine throughout this young lady's life.

Assuming the petite girl was teasing, Tatiana repressed a snort, giving the girl a smile as she slipped on her backpack. "Mind if I tell the Ranger that? He had me all worked up about killer wildlife and people disappearing." She frowned. "You know, now that I think about it, I think I knew he was messing with me. He even offered to teach me to shoot. I mean, really. What kind of forest ranger wants to enable an inexperienced shooter to traipse about in his woods?" She snorted at herself in disgust. "And I fell for it." The whole evening had been surreal.

"I haven't the pleasure of meeting the Ranger yet, but Jacob has told us so much about him." She smiled as she introduced herself, "my name is Alice…" after a pause she added, "Alice Cullen, and it's a pleasure to meet you. I have heard that there is a professor in town surveying the woods for a new species of wolf." Alice had her own obsessive compulsive issues and could not keep herself from looking at the girl's muddy feet… she had three pairs of hiking boots at home that would fit her nicely… two of them were Prada the other was made by Timberland. She took note of the girl and thought to herself, Timberland… definitely the Timberland as she would worry about damaging the expensive Prada, and as she looked her up and down she thought of hiking pants, shirt, and clothes she could wear when not hiking like a couple of beautiful dresses and jewelry… after all her new friend was quite pretty.

"Tatiana Bishop," she fell in step with her new acquaintance, which was harder than she wished. It was like walking next to a dancer en pointe. Tatiana had never felt clumsier.

"It is my pleasure to meet you Tatiana," she said with a beaming smile. "I've observed that something seems to have you wound up like a two-dollar Timex. What troubles you so?"

Taking care over a rather large log, Tatiana admitted, "When the new ranger tried to scare me off the project, telling me stories of windego and bears..." In that moment the obvious clicked into place and she stopped, unconsciously stomping her foot. "He is half Quileute! Oh, I am so stupid!" With an exasperated sigh she shook her head and started marching with angry purpose, muttering to herself. "Of course he would try to scare me off. Oh I am a fool." She gave Alice a sheepish look and quickly recapped the project, ending with, "I truly had not meant to trespass. Although, if I had to run over a boundary I am glad it was yours and not the Quileute Nation's. They aren't happy about this at all." And sent their emissary to chase her out of town, she added mentally. Ranger Chris would pay. She didn't know how, but she had all summer to figure it out.

"Yes the ranger is half-Quileute," Alice said as her visions flashed back to the late 1970's when Billy Black could walk… and little Chris was just barely in first grade and his mother moved away from the reservation after his father's funeral. Alice was able to see glimpses of his time between leaving the reservation and his return, her gift showed her... but since his first phasing, his timeline became less certain. "He's had a rough childhood, from what Jacob told me, he left the reservation at a very young age… you probably know as much, if not more, about being a Quileute than he does." She looked at the muddy tennis shoes… it was really getting to Alice and she knew that something would happen to them the moment that she got them off of her feet.

"I really don't mind you placing your cameras, but since this is all in the name of research and our cameras have months of recording already on them why don't you come by sometime to our house to review the recordings." Alice knew that Jasper had already removed any incriminating footage of the wolves and vampires and most wolves would not go where the Cullen's cameras would record anyway. "Perhaps you could get a jump by reviewing our recordings." Alice had flashes of a great blonde wolf and this girl looking at each other face to face… her premonitions were seldom wrong. "Why don't you come by our house now and shower, believe me I have plenty of extra clean clothes, I am the family's shop-a-holic, and my mother Esme would be glad to fix you a bowl of hot soup or something?"

Ordinarily Tatiana would politely refuse to go home with a stranger. And she had to admit that despite her size and friendliness there was something about Alice Cullen that did not feel right. And yet there was something so compelling, as if the girl was lonely. Plus hot food, a non-public shower, and a respite from the damp sounded like heaven. "Thanks Alice," she offered the girl a small, grateful smile. "I am glad you found me."

"You are the most pleasant surprise I've found in the forest in a while," Alice said with a musical quality to her voice, "as far as the Quileutes go… they have their reasons why they don't want trespassers on their land. To them it is sacred and there are generations of their dead buried in the woods. It's a great disrespect for anyone, even other members of the tribe, to go traipsing through their area without knowing the relevance of the land they are stepping on." It seemed like mere moments, and Alice was certain that Tatiana could not find the house if she tried when they arrived at what appeared to be a modern palace with all glass walls that showed nearly every part of the main rooms inside the house. "This is where I live," she said brightly… "Come let's get you cleaned up… I think my Dad's home he will look at your foot and I have three pairs of hiking boots I've never worn and at least a dozen that I have… some only once. Hopefully a pair of them will strike your fancy… I think those tennies are done for."

'Whoa,' Tatiana thought, her gaze broke only to look at her shoes. "Your mom won't want me messing up your house. It's beautiful..." Like a dream set among the ferns and huge trees with the river only a stone's throw away, the house was idyllic and clean. How could anyone keep that many windows so shiny in this wet timberland?

Alice smiled, "We hire a team of window washers to come once a week, we can go in through the garage, there's a mud room there. My family often goes hiking out in the woods ourselves, you can rinse your feet off there and mom always has a supply of fluffy towels to dry them off with."

Alice brought her into the house after cleaning off her feet and took her to a room that was almost a complete hospital emergency exam room. "Dad is an ER Doctor and he keeps a small clinical exam room equipped in case someone gets hurt in the woods. They can bring them here and he can stabilize them before going to the hospital. Good thing he's off today. Now to get those feet looked at."

Carlisle was sitting at a large Apple iMac ordering medical supplies for the Quileute clinic, the Cullens donated thousands of dollars' worth of necessities to the tribe. He looked at Alice, "Good afternoon ladies, Alice, who is your friend?"

"This is Tatiana Bishop, the professor's assistant. She has had a rough go of it out in the woods this morning and got her feet all scraped up. Can you check her out?"

Carlisle led her to the small room off to the side where he treated people and tapped the exam room table inviting her to get onto it. He smiled as Tatiana sat down causing the paper on the examination table to crackle, "Young lady, those are some nasty scrapes I hope you have had all of your vaccinations… if not please come by the hospital tomorrow to get a tetanus shot. I want you to keep this covered with some antibiotic cream three times daily." He used some special cleanser to wash her feet, "this will neutralize any poison ivy, or anything that would cause you to itch, and you really need to have a good pair of hiking boots to wander around the woods around here."

About that time Esme brought in a tray with a large soup mug full of homemade chicken noodle soup, "this should help you feel better after stomping about in the dampness." She looked at Alice and winked as she made sure there were some holes in the tennis shoes to prevent her from using them again.

Carlisle smiled, "there you go… Alice why don't you take her up to the guest room so she can shower."

"I've already got that covered," she said with a smile, "I'll take her to my room for some girl-time." And with that Alice took her upstairs a bedroom-suite that included four rooms, a bathroom with the most luxurious shower that would rival any health spa, a sitting room set up much like an old-fashioned parlor, a large room that served as her closet, and a tiny room that accommodated a full-sized bed and not much else… it was never used and just for show.

Tatiana's fears of imposing were for naught. The Cullens' hospitality was almost pushy, though no one could compete with Alice. And once Tatiana stopped fighting it she found she truly enjoyed the younger girl's enthusiasm. Her closet on the other hand was truly impressive, larger than her bedroom, and tightly organized to maximize the available space. Esme kept an amazing house. What would it be like to have grown up like this? As the hot water beat her back, Tatiana mused that Dr. Cullen was too young to have made any money as a doctor, so one of the elder Cullens must have been born with a silver spoon. Esme, she thought. That would explain why the house looked like a magazine layout.

The fairy-like vampire smiled as Tatiana sang in the shower… she had a very good voice as she suspected. Alice picked up her clothes and placed them in a plastic shopping bag. There was no washing machine in the Cullen house… no one ever wore the same clothing twice, with the exception of shoes. There was a steady stream of clothing constantly arriving in and going out of the house. Alice smiled as she loved to dress Bella up as a human and she suspected she now had a better challenge than Bella. She suspected that Tatiana did not realize how beautiful she actually was… or at least lacked the confidence to rock some fashion.

When Tatiana emerged from the shower Alice already had selected six outfits, two for hiking and four just to show her how beautiful she was. The two girls laughed, giggled, and enjoyed themselves for about an hour and a half… Alice neatly folded up the clothes bagged up the clothes into shopping bags as soon as Tatiana took them off. When finished Tatiana was wearing a good outfit to go out in the woods and place the cameras. A good sturdy pair of Timberland hiking boots, boot socks, and a pair of Columbia outdoor pants and camp shirt. Good sturdy clothes that would protect her well.

"Alice!" She begged, having submitted to a fashion show. Many of the girl's clothes did not fit as loosely as Tatiana wore her clothes, though she had produced an array of hiking boots that she was certain rivaled the camping store's selection, especially given her size.

Her new friend smiled, "Yes… I think we've done enough now." Knowing she gave her one outfit that would drive the Ranger nuts when he saw her in it. "You are more beautiful than you give yourself credit."

Tatiana frowned at that. "It's too much. Besides, I'm spending the summer mucking about in the woods with the bears, mountain lions, and windego. I doubt they are going to care if my shoes match my outfit." Of course clearly Alice cared and she was the self-proclaimed danger in the area.

Rosalie stood in the door and smugly said, "Yes… the clothes really don't change the flavor of the human that's wearing them. After all you can wrap a piece of candy in wax paper or gold foil, it still tastes just as good."

Having not noticed the entrance of what had to be the most beautiful woman ever to draw breath, Tatiana's expression was one of perplexed horror at the bizarre statement, though her face went blank as she openly stared at the blond. Maybe beautiful wasn't the right word, she mused. Even with disgust and boredom playing over her face, the blond was beyond beautiful. If she smiled she would have put any starlet ever to shame.

Alice looked at the sudden interloper and sternly said, "If I were to be eaten by a bear I would think I would look my best before it happened."

Rosalie frowned, "Alice, you know the dangers out there in the woods... Don't be so flippant about it, there are things that really eat people." She looked at the new girl in the room after hearing the entire conversation that went on from hers across the hall. "In fairness I don't think this young lady knows what she is getting herself into... we should teach her how to shoot or at least use a bow." Rosalie frowned, "and look at her... she's just a little bit more graceful than Bella was before she came to us."

Visibly backing up a little and telling herself not to be stupid, Tatiana looked from one Cullen to the other. How many were there? "Ah, I umm," gritting her teeth she forced herself to just shake her head. No way in hell was Tatiana going anywhere with this one - who looked like a thug in preppy clothes, right down to the predatory grin. Their words were polite, even charming.

Jasper came into the room and used his abilities to calm down the situation a bit. He smiled as he closed his eyes and focused on peace. "Ladies, I think Rosalie is a bit overreacting here." He smiled as he went over to Alice and hugged her. "My darling, who is our new friend."

Alice smiled, "This is Tatiana Bishop, she is the assistant to Doctor Jones, the scientist who is doing the wolf study in the woods."

The young man with extremely messy curly hair extended his hand to her, "It is my pleasure to meet you." He smiled... his eyes were the same caramel color of everyone else in the home so far.

And just like that it was gone. The building panic washed away as if it had never been. Tatiana's shoulders dropped and jaw loosened; blue eyes went soft and almost sleepy. "Umm, hi," this was getting awkward - so much so that she didn't even notice how cool the newcomer's hand was during the very brief contact, or the faint scars, which would have been so visible in the bright lights from the vanity.

"Tatiana, have you ever taken a self-defense class, do you exercise?" Rosalie asked. "It would be my pleasure to exercise and train with you sometime soon... that is if the professor gives you enough time off." Her eyes drifted to the larger man in the doorway, "I suppose I could volunteer Emmitt to place all her cameras in the appropriate sites for them. All you would need to do is mark on a map where you want them." Rosalie turned her head to door and raised her voice slightly, "Emmitt hon, can you come here for a moment?"

A strapping young man stepped into the door, "Yes honey." He said well-trained already knowing what was going on as he heard everything from out in the garage where he was working. "Did you need something?"

Rosalie smiled, "would it be possible for you to help this young lady place her cameras into appropriate sites for their research?"

Emmitt nodded, "it would be my pleasure."

Numb and not caring why, the only human in the house merely nodded. Later she would worry about Professor Jones firing her, but in that moment, she could have curled up in a ball and gone to sleep.

Alice smiled, "then that means it would give you a head start on your research... and all you will need to do is watch the footage.

Tatiana merely nodded, unable to form a protest and without the will to speak.

Jasper nodded at Emmett as he left, "thanks for your help... do you mind giving me a hand with my car?"

Emmett nodded, "not at all..." and the two of them left to go out to the garage leaving the girls once again by themselves.

Rosalie started again, "seriously, there are a lot of wild things out in the woods... even a small raccoon can do some damage if you don't know how to deal with them."

The instant the men left Tatiana's breath left in a whoosh and her knees collapsed beneath her so that she sat gracelessly on the thick white carpet. The panic built until she was unable to breathe. Nothing like this had ever happened to her - well, at least since she had been a child. There was nothing to fear! Just a bunch of really, really pushy locals.

"I'm okay," she said waving Alice back. Her words sounded more angry than reassuring, as if she had been shoved to the floor and not nearly fainted from lack of air. "I think I need to get back," nothing would please her more than bolting for the door, screaming. In fact, it was an effort to get to her feet. Her traitorous legs felt like jelly and her gait down the stairs in the new black leather knee-boots resembled nothing so much as a newborn colt.

When Alice drew her away from the front door and toward the back of the house, it was all Tatiana could do not to pull away. Of course, it would be rude just to leave. Esme had been kind to her. Actually, now that she thought about it, they had all been nice to her. Why was she being such a child, jumpy like a little girl after a night of ghost stories? It was all the fault of Ranger Chris. She shuddered as the name popped into her mind unfettered… yes indeed, all his fault.


	5. The Big Reveal

The drive back to Tatiana's truck seemed like an eternity as neither person said a word it was obvious to Chris that he had struck a nerve with her and he did not want to fan the flames anymore. He felt bad about the bruise on her face and watched her slide out of the jeep careful not to get mud on her clothes. His conscience finally got to him as he picked up her backpack and shopping bags and walked with her towards the truck, "I hope that we can talk more sometime I'm sorry you bruised your face... I honestly did not mean to offend you."

It was hard to stay angry with him when he was looking so depressed. She came to the realization that the morning's crime scene must have been traumatizing. "We're good," she said stopping to touch to his forearm. "Just... don't ever lie to me, okay?"

Her touch seemed to electrify the skin on his forearm… he swallowed as he thought carefully of the right words to say, "Tatiana I never intended to lie to you… there is so much that is going on right now I simply do not know how to explain it all to you. I can't make sense of it myself. I promise I won't hide anything from you if I can, but you must understand that there are some things that I just cannot talk about because of my official capacity as a Ranger." He sighed as that was true, all of the deaths are under an official investigation and much of the information was closed to the public. "But understand, I will let you know everything you need to know to safely do your job."

Chris did not understand that his senses were now keener than before he phased, he recalled some of the conversation he overheard at the Cullens' house. "Be careful, and if I were you I would take the Cullen brother's offer up to help you place your cameras in the woods. I think he would be able to get them higher up and in places you just might catch something on one that you can use."

"Maybe, but..." She trailed off, considering whether telling him was really in her best interest. It was so stupid. Wait. How did he know about Alice's monster of a brother offering to put up the cameras? He hadn't been in Alice's room during that horrible discussion. Remembering that conversation made her uncomfortable and unconsciously she started to hyperventilate.

'Calm down you twit,' she chided herself. It would help to talk to someone about it, but she couldn't. Besides, he would think her weird or at the least ungrateful. So she just shook her head and unlocked the old truck, holding the keys in a tight fist to keep her hands from shaking.

The ranger sighed as she turned the key and nothing happened... the engine did not crank. Chris frowned, "The battery must be dead... let me pull the jeep over and give you a jump start."

"Great," Tatiana muttered, bending to look for a hood release latch under the steering column. Though at least this was a normal problem. The hood popped and creaked a little when she yanked the lever. At least that worked.

About that time a very unkempt woman walked out of the trees and approached them at a very brisk pace. Chris noticed her immediately as she was soon upon them, "Ma'am, can I help you?" Chris offered sounding as official as he possibly could while out of uniform. Chris turned to see where Tatiana was and nodded reassuringly as he noticed her furrow her brow as she sat up and carefully watched what was going on.

"Possibly," she said in a strong foreign accent. The strange woman sniffed the air closing her eyes as if to smell every trace of scent adding, "You both reek of vampires..." she closed her eyes and sniffed some more.

Chris looked at Tatiana and said, "There's no such thing as vampires." He wasn't a good liar but tried to make it sound as truthful as he could. As the woman pulled a large hunting knife out of her backpack and menacingly walked towards him. His mind immediately went to his training as he reached for his gun... he blushed as he realized in that moment that it was on the back seat of his jeep and he had no other defense but his bare hands. His heart pounded as it now was clear that Tatiana was in as much danger as he was. He knew that he had an advantage as he was now much stronger since he phased... but that thought was shattered as soon as the wind blew her scent towards him. She was not a Quileute wolf, but then she was not human either. "What are you?" Chris asked.

"I am Hungry," Ramona said, "and what a fine meal you will make... both of you." She said as she suddenly caught his scent in the wind, "your meat is spoiled," she said as the only thing that would satiate her hunger was human flesh "at least the woman will serve as a snack while I hunt for something more appetizing."

'Oh hell no,' Tatiana cursed when the bitch turned to face her. She didn't know much about the normal moms and dads that Chris had been blathering about earlier but she knew two kinds of dangerous creatures: crazed animals and sociopaths. This woman with her half matted hair, dirty skin, and torn clothing looked like she might qualify under both categories and she had a knife to boot.

Tatiana cursed aloud and slammed the truck's door, hitting the lock before sliding across the bench to the far door. Flinging it open she yelled to Chris, "Get in!"

Chris watched as the wild eyed woman turned away from him and placed herself between Tatiana and the truck. He knew that his friend now was in grave danger. There was nothing more that he could do so Chris gritted his teeth and charged at the woman in an effort to stop her at all costs. His plan to tackle her and knock the knife from her hand failed miserably when she turned and planted her feet firmly in the ground. With one swing of her free arm she connected squarely with his chest knocking the breath from him sending the large ranger effortlessly flying twenty feet into a nearby tree where he hit it with a resounding thud.

Ramona smiled, "You are not so tough, big guy. I've fought bigger and stronger than you." She taunted as she turned back towards Tatiana. "Now my dear... your turn," the woman continued towards here raising the knife taking pleasure in her prey's fear.

Instinctively, Tatiana had climbed out if the truck and gone running toward Chris the moment the crazy woman had advanced on him. Her first thought had been to tackle her from the rear but when she punched the 200-odd pound Ranger into a tree like a volleyball Tatiana stopped open-mouthed.

"Chris..." Could he even survive that? "Chris? Chris, Chris, Chris…" His name morphed from cry to question to mantra as she backpedaled toward the jeep, stopping when her hand hit the damp mud that coated the side panel. He wasn't moving, but his attacker still advanced taking very slow deliberate steps.

"I can hear your heart beating harder my pretty," Ramona said as she continued. "Why don't you make it easier on both of us and just give up."

Moments before Chris charged the woman, Tatiana had had the thought to tackle the woman herself as a distraction, but after that bizarre show of strength there was no hope for that to work. Chris was down for the count, possibly dead. Her only hope for survival was to find a weapon. At the Jeep, she frantically tried to open the door with her numb hands clumsily trying to grasp the lever. 'Please let the keys be in the ignition! Please, please, please...' her plan was to start the jeep and run over the woman.

Chris began to get his breath back and realized that the woman was more than Chris could handle... He turned and saw Tatiana in the Jeep and the woman continued to advance towards her. He realized that the keys were attached to his gun belt. The emotions welled up in him along with a sudden pain he realized that his back hurt and wondered if he would need time to heal before he could phase. The wolf was the only way he could save her, he tried to summon it and it would not come… yet he knew if he did not make an effort this wild woman would kill her. He struggled to stand up and began limping towards Ramona and the Jeep. His adrenal glands gave him the necessary strength to overcome the pain, he yelled to get the woman's attention, "hey nasty bitch."

"I thought I put you down," Ramona sneered at the man/animal, then called teasingly over her shoulder to the delicious-smelling girl, "Let me go kill your handsome boyfriend, my pretty, and I'll be back for you. You can run if you like, but I will still catch you."

Chris watched as Tatiana's face held an expression of pure horror... nothing else mattered to him but saving her. His heart was pounding as if it would explode out of his chest and he was in full fight or flight mode. He felt the wolf just underneath his skin as he took one more step surrendering to the wolf… then it happened in one fluid motion... the wolf exploded out of him, the black under armor t-shirt... olive green uniform pants... his boots all shredded with the sudden change. The space that once was occupied by a man expanded into a wolf the size of a pony that had fur the color of a golden retriever. He growled loudly at the woman who seemed to suddenly lose her confidence, she dropped the knife and began to back away from him.

The Quileute wolves were suddenly aware of Chris and began to run to his aid. They all knew he had never before fought as a wolf and could see what was going on through his eyes. Through him they smelled the scent of this woman and realized she was not like them… but she wasn't human either. What concerned them most was they did not know what he was capable of... and it was clear neither did he. Instinct and self-preservation was the only thing that he had working for him. The golden wolf lept into the air with his mouth open and connected with the small woman biting her across her upper torso. With one bite he punctured her heart and one turn of his head he slung her body into the same tree that she had sent him crashing into. The woman's body did not move, she lay there motionless. Chris was disgusted with the taste of her blood in his mouth and the wolf made a lough coughing noise to try to clear it from his throat.

Standing with one foot inside the jeep, Tatiana just froze, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. "Chris?" she called, eyes frantically searching. Where had he gone? Scraps of material rained down as she stared past the monster her mind refused to see, looking for the man. The only thing she could see was the lunatic woman that threatened them laying at the base of the same tree Chris was slung into. The woman's body bled profusely as it was settled into a macabre broken heap by the tree. She wondered if Chris was underneath her and began to walk cautiously towards the tree leaning her chest forward taking slow and uncertain steps her beleaguered brain could no longer ignore what it did not want to see.

Suddenly standing between her and the tree was a wolf larger than Tatiana had ever even dreamed. In the wild a large male wolf might get to be 140lbs, but this one had to be 500lbs? 600lbs? He was the product of nightmares and yet he was beautiful, a little gold where the light struck his fur as if his undercoat might be white, darker flecks along his back and the ruff of his neck and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. If he hadn't been so impossibly large and close, and if his muzzle hadn't been dripping blood she would have adored him. As it was, she just froze standing in place.

Chris looked at Tatiana as he walked closer to her and the jeep gazing into her face... the wolf still had the same ice blue eyes he had in human form. In that moment it seemed as time stopped becoming an eternity all it's owned... suddenly all the feelings that Chris had for this woman made sense... there was nothing else to exist for, she was clearly only reason to live now.

Sam, Quill, Seth and Leah arrived moments after Chris' imprint had washed like a tidal wave over the pack's mind. It was a staggering and unprecedented experience for them as no one had ever felt an imprint before in wolf form. The others imprinted in human form when their minds were closed to the others. They would hear all about it later, of course, but to experience it through his eyes, his heart, and his mind as it happened... It was as if they had all been hit in the gut, cut free of everything that mattered to them, and irrevocably tethered to this stranger that only Sam had met before.

Leah broke the awed silence in everyone's minds, "Sam, I thought you said it wasn't possible for him to do this for months. Looks like Goldie imprinted... and he imprinted hard."

Tatiana watched the wolf with fascinated and terrified eyes. She could imagine no creature so noble, so beautiful... and usually shy. It was odd for a lone wolf to approach a human. Wolves only attacked usually as the result of desperation. Of course this wolf had just killed two people. Though she had no idea where Chris' body was as his clothing littered the ground in pieces and the lunatic woman lay bleeding out behind him. Was this a wolf mad too? Could this gigantic mad wolf be the thing that was killing people?

Though the realization took merely a few seconds the delay had destroyed any hope of retreating to the relative safety of the jeep behind her. 'Don't run, don't move,' she chanted in her mind as the bloodied muzzle moved to within arm's reach. She could almost feel the heat of his panted breath...

Chris was still unaware of the presence of the others... feelings of shame, embarrassment, and joy overwhelmed him. He was ashamed of what he was... a half breed not accepted by the tribe... embarrassed that he had to do something so violent in front of Tatiana, and overjoyed that she was still alive.

Seth sighed, "She's going to have the professor dissect him... he's made us all into science projects now."

Quill looked at Sam then at Chris, "We need to put them both down. They will cause a lot of attention and it will bring the Volturi back."

Sam placed himself between the other wolves and Chris bearing his teeth he growled ferociously, "he is my family and carries our blood... and our curse in his veins. We owe him every right and privilege of the tribe, we must honor that he is one of us... and if you want to put him down you will have to go through me. The woman is now protected as the one he imprinted of, we have to take this to the elders."

The double echo of the alpha rang in his command and each of three other wolves cowed a little beneath his unflinching order. Killing another wolf or killing the object of another wolf's imprinting was one of the pack's few taboos, because to do so would destroy the wolf and hurt the pack. It was shameful of how little the pack regarded Chris that Quil would even think such a thing. Sam knew that that was true only because he has been ambivalent. It was clear that Chris should be treated as a member of the Quileute tribe and be told all the secrets necessary for his new existence as one of the pack. He had to be clear that any animosity towards Chris will end now.

Now that the dangers had passed Chris struggled, but could not hold on to the wolf form any longer. The wolf shrank and seemed to drop a man out of the space that it once occupied. Chris was exhausted, his wounds from the woman's attack were healed. He was laid out naked and in full glory before Tatiana's eyes. If he was not so exhausted he would be embarrassed by the display.

With an audible whoosh all the air fled Tatiana's lungs. Her clenched hands flexed and she stumbled back into the muddy jeep, gasped, and then exclaimed, "What the hell?!" The four other gigantic wolves appeared and seemed to be in some kind of standoff some 20 feet away. Two breaths later, having gotten no response, she bravely crossed the few feet separating her from the naked man that her fevered mind had imagined as a huge wolf and knelt, hands fluttering uselessly for a few seconds before gently searching for a pulse at his neck.

"Chris? Can you hear me?" The rational part of her brain had taken over. The shaking was gone from her hands and her voice was steady. Her heart, which seconds ago had been near to beating out of her chest slowed to a sleepwalker's pace.

When he didn't move she slipped out of the red and pink raincoat and covered him from waist to knees. A sudden movement from the wolves drew her gaze as she looked up in time to see the massive black one move out of sight behind the truck. A snap like an elastic band could be heard just before the huge younger man from the council meeting appeared where the wolf had disappeared. Like at the meeting he was half dressed in only a pair of cutoffs.

The three wolves turned and fanned out, each leaving in a different direction. The smallest, though still twice as big as any wolf should be, leapt away with such speed and grace that Tatiana was reminded of a deer.

Sam walked toward Tatiana and the still unconscious ranger with deliberate slowness, expecting her to flee, or maybe faint. By all rights she should be hysterical, instead she instead took a step toward him, looking scared but determined. He stopped and said "Tatiana," wishing he could remember her last name. He only remembered her first because Chris had thought about her a moment earlier. They shared imprint experience coloring Sam's feelings for the girl. Sam respected her more now due to her show of bravery in the face of all she had just witnessed and endured. He smiled as he knew that it took a very special person for a wolf to imprint to and this woman was extraordinary.

The schoolgirl outfit made her look younger than her years. Her hands brushed Chris on his forehead in a gesture as old as motherhood, then down his cheeks as she bent over to place her ear near his mouth. Though several seconds too late, she finally responded to her name. "He's breathing and has a pulse." She gave Sam a pleading look. "We need to get him to a doctor." Her gaze drifted past him to the tree, but the body was gone. She blinked and her breathing accelerated. Had she imagined that whole incident? Frantic, she looked at both vehicles. Neither looked damaged. The truck's hood was popped. She shook her head and ran her fingers over her skull. Nope, no blood. "Help me." Her voice was a whisper.

Sam walked over to Chris, picked him up, and carried him to the Ranger's jeep. He looked at Tatiana, "I think it's time for both of you to come to the reservation now. We will explain everything." He looked at the chocolate wolf who seemed to nod at him turn and run away through the woods. Sam rummaged in the back of the jeep finding the stash of extra clothes he told Chris to carry with him. Hastily Sam helped Chris change into some sweat pants. The movement seemed to revive the ranger, although his movements were stiff during his cautious self-inventory. Sam looked at Chris, "everything is still there cousin… you are ok. You did ok." He said as now there was so much he had to explain to him… and the young lady with him.

Behind Sam, Tatiana had moved to give the men some privacy. Though she stood staring in their direction as if afraid they would disappear. If the truck had been operable she probably would have gotten in and driven back to camp. The idea of going to the reservation was ludicrous. They did not like her and according to Chris they liked him even less. Some small part if her brain whispered questions she could not face. She shook her head hard, her ponytail whipping her face, then scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. She was so tired.

"Tatiana?" Sam's voice wasn't loud but held the authority of a shout.

"I need to get back," the numbness cruelly ebbed, letting the fear back. "Professor Jones..."

He cut her off. "Chris needs you more than you know and we need to get him out of here. Come, I promise you will be welcome this time."

She could not argue with Chris' safety, though her anxious blue eyes darted to where he sat in the back seat. When Sam impatiently requested that she should get in next to him, she complied. Nothing made sense. She had to be dreaming. Yes! That was it. This was just a bad dream and she was probably still on that tree branch, her face pressed into her backpack. That explained why she was sore… all of this was just a bad dream.


	6. Aftermath

Sam shuddered as he wrapped his mind around the gravity of what just happened. If his cousin had not phased, and if his cousin had not fought, it could have been one catastrophic disaster. Whatever that strange woman was she definitely wasn't human. Her corpse had an acrid, almost burnt scent permeating from her skin and blood. The pack faintly noticed her scent for weeks not knowing what it was it caused them little alarm. It unlike anything ever encountered by them before not falling under the category of wildlife, human, shifter or vampire. Unfortunately, the grim task of disposing of the body fell upon Quill and Seth.

Although the crisis passed quickly enough there were plenty of unintended consequences rippling in the aftermath. As Sam drove the jeep his black eyes darted nervously between the road and the rearview mirror. In the passenger-side back seat sat his long-absent cousin, half-naked and curled in on himself, his head pressing against the glass. Chris was panting hard and flexing his fingers as if they hurt while his eyes stared sadly at the woman sitting next to him.

Tatiana was slumped in the seat behind Sam who could only glimpse her through the driver's side mirror. When compared to the usual full figured robust Quileute woman, she was short, delicate and skinny. He payed close attention to of her unblinking gaze and the guarded way she held herself. The poor girl seemed as if she might burst apart any moment. One could only assume the girl was in shock from witnessing the horrors of the day. Sam hoped that his beloved Emily could to reach her. Unlike all the other wolves that had imprinted, Chris was the one who found someone from outside the preternatural world to imprint to. A girl who has never heard the Quileute stories and legends. Even Jacob's half-vampire Renesmee knew had been raised with knowledge of the wolves. the tribe was raised hearing stories of the great spirit warriors, men who could turn into wolves.

The pack is now faced with a new challenge finding a way of bringing Chris and his imprint into their fold. Sam smiled as saw his beloved Emily was waiting for them on the small flower-covered porch. He took a moment to thank the Spirits and ask their blessing for what he was about to ask of her.

Leah stood off to one side glowering at their arrival wearing only a tank top and cutoffs. Sam didn't want to acknowledge her… he paid little attention to her as he drew strength from Emily, his sun, his moon, and the air he breathed. He smiled as he looked at her knowing that she made him whole, he found shelter in her presence… she was his rock, the only thing that truly mattered to him. He loved their children, loved his tribe and would kill or die for any of them. He realized that now Chris would have that feeling towards Tatiana and wondered if she was meant to become his Emily? Would she love and support his cousin during the trials and tribulations ahead?

Memories flooded through his mind of those first weeks after he encountered Emily and how confused he had been. He was the first wolf of this generation to phase and there had been no one to advise him. Sam had feared that he was going insane and might have even tried to end it all if SHE hadn't come along. Thankfully she had. Since then, he had not needed anything more than her: her smile, her laugh, her joy, her presence to make him okay. Sam's heart was torn as he wondered what Chris was going through. He pondered the possibility that Tatiana may cause the same emotions to rise in him? Was Chris struggling with his sanity, would he break?

Sam worried about his cousin ever since the day he returned, he feared that Chris would try too hard to fit in? Can he come to peace with his new found Quileute curse? The pack feared that after Chris first phased he would not accept what he was; Sam was exacerbated by the telepathic link he shared with the other wolves as they could sense Sam's torment. They haven't accepted him fully either. Now this unexpected imprinting on Tatiana has changed everything. Chris would now be compelled beyond any reasonable means to protect her… to provide for her every need, to be with her through thick and thin… to be whatever she needed whenever she needed it. Chris now more than ever needed the full acceptance and support of the pack now more than. The girl's immediate needs, as it turned out, was the kind hearted young forest ranger who simply wanted to keep her safe in the forest.

Being an outsider, there is the terrible possibility that the girl would not keep their secrets. Nonetheless, she had to be told… It was the Quileute way; there could be no secrets between a wolf and his imprint. Tatiana was now rightfully a member of the pack family and it was the pack's duty to take care of their own.

"Darling," Emily breathed as she gracefully stepped into his arms, her warm, soft body molding to his as if she was made for him and only him. He lost himself for an eternal moment basking in the perfection of their love before reluctantly pulling back and kissing the scar that disfigured her face. A scar he gave her the first weekend, phasing without warning… she had simply been too close. This was another warning he needed to drill into his cousin's head… Until Chris gained control over his wolf he would be a danger to everyone around him.

Chris had regained his composure somewhat and managed to get out of the Jeep at the same time Tatiana pulled herself together. The sound of the jeep's doors closing forced his gaze from Emily's beautiful eyes. "Emily, you know Chris. This is his imprint, Tatiana. She's the one that -"

"Is assisting the researcher studying our local wildlife." Emily interrupted with an air of diplomacy. Though only one side of her mouth could smile due to her scar, to Sam she was still strikingly beautiful as she held out both hands to Tatiana, welcoming her as if they were already family.

Chris made his way behind Tatiana still trying to accept what just happened to him. He was standing too close for friends but not quite touching her, although every molecule of his being wanted to enfold her in his arms and bury his face in her hair. Fortunately he was too much of a gentleman to make the situation any more awkward than it was.

When Tatiana didn't respond to Emily right away, he smelled the remnants of fear on her and saw the sagging exhaustion set in on her shoulders. He tried to form the right words but was unable to manage anything appropriate to say. He turned his gaze upon Emily, and gained the composure to say, "Ma'am, I am pleased to finally meet you."

As the three spoke Tatiana paid little attention. They were here to help Chris, because he had been thrown into a tree and attacked by giant wolves… there had been someone else there too, but she must have been eaten by the wolves. The other woman had disappeared. The more she thought about it the more muddled the incident became. The only thing she knew with absolute certainty was that she had a close encounter with a giant golden blonde wolf. The creature had been so close that she had felt his warm moist breath on her face. Oddly, the wolf's breath had smelled like chicken noodle soup. Strange...

Emily walked up to Tatiana and wrapped one arm around her waist pulling her up the stairs into a little cottage. Inside, the air was fragranced with flowers and the warm smell of cinnamon rolls. Tatiana's mind flashed back to something Chris said about the Cullen home's odor and smiled for a moment as she shot him a bemused glance.

Once inside Tatiana turned away, gently freeing herself from Emily's grasp. "I should get back to camp. I am sure Dr. Jones will be worried." If she had to walk back she would. In fact, the air and exercise would do her some good. "I really have to go."

"Tatiana," Emily used her reassuring mommy voice, "there is much we must discuss. Surely you must have a million questions?" From behind her Sam handed over a glass of water in a cheery tumbler with yellow and green flowers. Emily took it from him and passed it to Tatiana, who starred at it like it might contain a snake. With a little shake of her head, she side-stepped back toward the door.

"I have to go," she repeated. "Dr. Jones will be missing me."

"She's definitely in shock." Sam declared, as a note of weariness crackled through his baritone voice. Then to Tatiana he said, "I promise I will take you back to camp, but there is something very important I need to tell Chris first." He turned to Emily, "Why don't you find her something to eat, if she can and try to get her to lie down and rest for a moment while I have a talk with Chris." The last was said with a glance to his cousin. "Come," he ordered, walking past him through the screen door and into the backyard. Chris nodded at Tatiana and Emily and followed Sam into the yard.

Emily transformed the backyard into a haven for wolves and children alike. A motley collection of deck and lawn chairs were arranged around an equally mismatched, but harmonious collection of milk crates and tables. Sam had built a swing set for the boys and Emily's garden was just starting to flower. Sam's grill sat clean and shiny beneath a tarp ready at any moment to be used. The lawn was kept as neat as the house and tall hedges neatly lined a path from the forest to the house, allowing cover to the wolves as they came and went.

Even as large as the pack was now the majority of the tribe thought them a legend. The only non-wolves that were aware of their existence were the imprinted mates and the members of the council: Sue Clearwater, Billy Black, and old Quill Atera. Parents, bosses, best friends, siblings, even husbands and wives were kept in the dark and allowed to make often terribly inaccurate assumptions as to what their loved ones were doing.

"You okay?" Sam asked on a sigh, opening a battered old cooler next to the grill and pulling out two bottles. He offered one to Chris before popping his open.

"I don't drink, I'm a the only forest ranger on duty at the station," Chris said as he subconsciously popped the bottle of beer open and took a big gulp of it. He stared back at Sam and after an awkward long pause he asked, "what the heck just happened?"

"Looked like you phased easier this time." Same tried to collect his thoughts, though it was not like him to beat around the bush. As he dropped into his normal deck chair, he praised, "Good work taking care f…. whatever that thing was."

"It's all like a bad movie," Chris said… "Vampires, wolves and now a demon woman… she smelled like hell… I mean real fire and brimstone hell. Did I really kill her… it… or whatever that thing was? I tried to shift… I tried to call the wolf and it took everything I could muster up to do it… only when that thing turned to Tatiana and I almost resigned myself to our fate was I able to change… and when the danger was over I found myself laying in the grass naked and oddly cold."

Sam nodded. "But you did it, and with time it will get easier. Usually it is phasing back that's hard - or not bursting into wolf at every provocation. You just have a different challenge. A less dangerous variation I might point out."

"Less dangerous," Chris chuckled, "seemed pretty dangerous to me… but all that matters is I saved her… and I," his voice crackled, "think I love her." He shook his head trying to shake that off and then asked, what happened to the demon?"

"Quill and Seth will bury it and then we will find where it has been living. We'll go see if the Carlisle and his family ever come across such a creature. However, you should be pleased, I think you've solved the mystery of what's been killing the hikers. Now everything can go back to as normal as anything ever is around here." He sighed noisily, giving the screen door a significant look. "Well, almost everything."

"But her," Chris said, "I think I am going insane… when I first saw her after I killed that thing it was if I lived a lifetime in that moment and she was who I was meant to live it with. She's irrational… she's stubborn… and even irritating at times…. But if something happened to her I feel as if I would die."

"It's part of the magic of our wolf-natures. How much of the old stories do you remember from the bonfires back when we were kids?"

"I was barely six when Mom took me… I don't remember much about them," he smiled, "I do remember Billy Black when he danced around the fire and Jacob was nothing but a baby." Chris smiled for a moment, "I remember when we danced and ran around the fire as well it was so much fun. I remembered wearing the moccasins and being able to feel the earth beneath my feet. Mom left those behind… she left anything that was remotely a memory of the tribe behind. I remember the moment we got off the plane in Boston mom took me to the airport barber shop and my hair was buzzed short… I hated that… every part of who I was… erased in that moment. There were no more stories of magic… no more fires… and I was reminded I was now white and should act like it from that point forward."

Sam grunted, nodded, and took a long pull from the bottle. "Well, you are part of the magic now and so is your Tatiana. We once thought imprinting was rare because in the stories only one or two wolves from each pack would ever imprint. Sometimes none at all. As it turns out, it is more fifty-fifty." He seemed to do some mental math, then shrugged. "Once a wolf sees her, I mean the one he is meant to be with, it doesn't matter how old she is or even who she is. It doesn't matter if either of them are already married or if she's only a baby. The wolf bonds so strongly to her that nothing aside from death can break it." He let that sink in a second, then added softly, "You belong to her… forever." Sam frowned. "Unfortunately it only works one way." He held up a hand to forestall any objection. "As far as we can tell, the imprinted does not instantly fall for the wolf. But the good news is that none of the imprinted ones have ever rejected the wolf in the end. Emily insists that we can be pretty charming, despite the fur and teeth and wet dog smell."

"This is not her world," Chris said with great worry as he looked in the window watching Emily lovingly brush and braid her hair. "This is not something she knowingly signed up for. If I were her I would run… go back to my family. I can't imagine her not having a loving and kind family go back to." He smiled, "I've brought her into a world of nightmares, of mythical monsters vampires, werewolves and now demons that smell of fire and brimstone. What's next… mermaids?" He sighed, "I fear she will never be safe… if something happens to her," a tear rolled down Chris' face. "My God, how would I ever live with myself?"

"I think you need to take her back to camp. Let her sleep and get her equilibrium back. Try to talk to her about it, but be careful about what you say until the bonfire ceremony and keep an eye on her," Sam snorted, knowing that was advice the younger wolf would not need. Letting Tatiana out of sight was going to be hard for a while. For that matter every wolf who had been in wolf form the moment Chris had imprinted was going to be thinking too much about Tatiana. It would not surprise him to dream about

her himself. Being inside a brother's head when he imprinted... He shook his head on a huff and forced his thoughts to the task at hand.

"We can't have that arrogant, pencil-necked professor of hers hearing anything about it. Whether he believes her or thinks her crazy it won't go well. When she is ready, tell her the entire truth. Show her your wolf, if you can. That's about all you can do. In the meantime I'll get with the rest of the council and set up the bonfire ceremony for this weekend. There are a few other younger wolves that haven't heard the stories since their change and one other imprint, though since they are all from the..." he cut himself off before saying the tribe. "Well they were all raised in La Push, familiar with the stories even if they believed them to only be legends." With a nod at the cottage, he finished, "Your Tatiana is going to need a lot more attention, explanations, time, patience and a bit of babysitting."

The two sat in silence, drinking, for a minute. From inside the cottage came the sound of water running in the sink and the fridge door opening and closing. Even Sam's human ears could make out the sound of the ocean almost half a mile away, the traffic on the road leading into the town, and a group of boys playing down the hill. It seemed to him that there was something else on Chris' mind, and he would give him time to ask if he wished. When his cousin spoke, it was not on the topic Sam expected.

"You told me that you wished I never returned… you told me I should have taken a more prestigious post since you knew I graduated top in my academy and could have taken any open post I wanted." Chris looked at him, "you are the only living family I have… I remember us as children taking the blood brother oath. I was so damn hurt that you seemed to want to push me away. Then I came to La Push and no one would look me in the eye. Yet in the town of Forks I get nothing but strange looks because they know I'm not one of theirs either. I came here to find family… that's all I want is family. I hoped I would reconnect with you... I found all the letters you had wrote me as a child… pictures of the reservation… of the other boys I was friends with. Mom kept them, but never gave them to me. When she died and I found those letters I knew I had to return. I thought joining the Forestry Rangers would give me the training I needed to get back to here… a purpose. I never forgot you Sam… you were the only brother I ever had. Even as kids you accepted me for who and what I was. I feared that returning here was the biggest mistake in my life, and now I wonder if that is the truth. I've not only wrecked my life… I've now wrecked hers as well. I'm afraid this isn't going to end well for any of us. I'm sorry for returning Sam… I'm sorry I've caused you and the tribe so many problems."

Guilt and anger crossed Sam's features. "I didn't know your mom kept my letters. I just thought... well, you stopped writing." It was done and Sam was not one to live in the past. "As to the pack, I owe you an apology for that." His black eyes crossed to the forest where his muted human ears could hear the muffled pad of paws loping across the ridge toward them." The pack follows me and I…" he paused for a moment and swallowed another sip from the bottle, "I wanted more for you than this. You managed to get away, man. You had a life away from this mess. Coming back and then changing, you understand now that I couldn't tell you why… I just didn't want this for you." He glanced at the cottage, "Now you are tied here just like the rest of us, at least for now. In time you might be able to give up your wolf and maybe you and your Tatiana can go live a normal life, but until then..." he shrugged. "You need us. Until you have absolute control you will never be able to give it up. Besides, having you as a ranger here, especially with your little researcher in the woods, will be handy."

"But I am a monster now," Chris said, "I feared she wouldn't accept me as a half-breed… but now it's worse… I'm a half-breed monster, and as hard as it was for me to change I'm not a very good monster either." He chuckled as he took a big gulp of the beer feeling the alcohol's warming effects on the lobes of his ears." He said with an edge of worry in his voice, "what if she won't accept me… what if I hurt her like you hurt Emily?"

Sam's teeth ground together and a low growl built in his throat. He hated being reminded that he had nearly killed Emily. He had to remind himself to remain calm and supportive. "Changing at will is often hard at first. Usually it takes a lot of emotion, but then it is impossible not to change. Eventually, your body remembers what the fire traveling down your spine feels like and so you start to want it when you need to change. You imagine the fire shooting through you, and the wolf taking over. Eventually you get control. Just be glad you aren't exploding into fur and teeth every time some tourist takes up two parking spaces or fails to register with the office." He gave Chris a half-smile. "I'm not kidding. That's what it is like for most. Maybe it helps that your mom was white. Maybe it's because you are older and not dealing with all the teenage crap too." Sam shrugged. It didn't matter why. "As for Tatiana, you are going to have to show her. Maybe a few times. And it would be better to do that here than in that camp of yours. Don't want you getting hurt or hurting her." He couldn't help looking through the kitchen window to where Emily often stood, looking for him. She wasn't there, probably sitting with Tatiana. "You can't lose control with her. And until you are sure you shouldn't be in wolf form alone with her. It is too dangerous."

"I don't think I could phase again if I tried," he said remembering how hard it was. "I think I need the help… the energy of the pack or something really dangerous to provoke me." He sighed, "And there's no way to undo the imprinting?"

"Sorry kid… like virginity, you can't unring that bell," Sam said chuckling.

Inside the house, Emily pondered the young woman sitting at her kitchen table. How many new imprintees had Emily coached through this oddest of transitions? Heck, even Bella Swan had been brought to this kitchen the morning she had first met the wolves. Most of the time Sam would have the wolf go to paws in the backyard the first time the imprintee saw him. It was safer for everyone. Sometimes the wolf couldn't affect the change because of the pressure and fear of what the center of his universe would think. All the wolves had a hard time with the transitions at first, some more than others.

So much easier if the girl was already in love, or if the wolf wasn't fresh from his first transition. These two seemed to have everything stacked against them. Well, not everything. At least Chris wasn't in love with Tatiana's cousin. These things had a way of working out in time and Emily was an optimist and a romantic. It would be fun to watch these two.

"How about hot tea?" Emily offered, drifting gracefully to the kitchen. The house was so tiny that the kitchen with its little table was the largest area of the house, but everything was so clean, bright, and cheery that the wallpaper seemed to ooze love and family.

Since her ride had just marched out the back door, Tatiana had little choice but to resign herself to the wait. For a long moment she stood, eyes closed, arms tightly wrapped around her ribs. If she had realized how much she looked like some spoiled rich girl in a private school outfit she would have doubled over in laughter. As it was she sighed deeply, summoning the last of her patience. "Thanks." Her voice sounded small, betraying some of the weariness she was not letting herself feel. Quietly and almost grudgingly she followed Emily into the kitchen and slid into one of the aluminum and vinyl padded dinette chairs.

As the kettle heated on the stove, Emily joined her at the table with mugs and tea bags. "I didn't get the whole story in the rush, but Leah said that you and Chris were attacked out by the trail head by some..." she did not know what to call it. Leah had called it a swamp thing that smelled like rotting eggs.

But it was enough. Tatiana's head snapped up and she bit her lower lip, frowning. "Yeah, a crazy woman with a big knife. But..." Images of Chris flying through the air into the tree reemerged unbidden. "She didn't need the knife. She... punched," the word did not do it justice, "Chris in the chest. And he went flying." Her she imitated the hit with her fist, sending her other hand soaring backwards. "Chris!" She emphasized incredulously, "He's huge! And she just walloped him like he was a volleyball." Tatiana rubbed her temple with one hand. "I thought he was dead but I couldn't get to him because she turned on me and she was between us, so I thought I would run her down with the Jeep, but I was too far away, but then these…" Her lips pursed to form the W but no sound came out of her mouth. What was she doing? Emily would laugh at her, and tell someone and have her committed. "I think," her shoulders fell and her arms went around her ribs again, as if restraining herself. "I don't know what happened. But that woman was dead and Chris was okay and laying right in front of me, except he was…" she could not betray Chris like that. "His uniform was destroyed." With a huff, she shook her head and then shuddered on a sigh.

Emily watched the younger woman for a moment, then as the kettle began hiss, poured the hot water into the cups. The action gave her time to think. She did not know this girl. Was it possible she truly did not remember the wolves? Leah had said that Tatiana had seen five of them: Sam, Quill, Seth, Leah, and Chris. And that Chris had gotten so close that Leah had thought he was going to lick her face.

Was it possible that Tatiana did not know that Emily knew? But that made little sense. She knew Emily was Sam's wife.

Maybe she did not believe it herself? With that in mind, she examined the girl in a different light. There was mud on her face, her tights were torn, and her shiny black boots - which Emily would bet cost a fortune - were muddy and scuffed. The gray sweater looked like real cashmere. Appearance was clearly important to the girl, but she had had a shockingly bad day.

Should Emily tell her? She honestly did not know. Maybe it would be better to give her time to adjust? Maybe Sam would rather show her instead? That certainly might be easier.

"Something stronger is definitely in order," Emily decided aloud, setting the sugar bowl on the table and then turning to retrieve a small amber bottle from the top shelf of the spice cabinet. "Just a little to warm you, and then I think maybe a brush for your hair?"

Ten minutes later Tatiana emerged from the sole bathroom with a freshly scrubbed face - very different from the heavily made-up look she had been sporting. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the tights were in the trash. She set the muddy boots on the front porch.

The gesture made Emily smile. "Another cup of tea?"

"Thank you," Tatiana sighed gratefully. She would need another shower today, but getting out of the tight boots and the ripped stockings had helped.

"I'll be right back," Emily excused herself and came back with the brush. "May I?" She pulled the elastic free from the younger girl's hair. "Your hair is so pretty, it is a shame to hide it like this."

The woman wanting to brush her hair was odd. And after Alice this morning it was alarming on some level. But the brandy had a wonderful, warm, languorous effect, making Tatiana feel like her limbs were made of jelly. Besides, her head did hurt and it felt good to have it brushed.

Emily noticed something odd as the girl's golden brown hair spilled over her shoulders: her hair wasn't artificially highlighted. And her fingernails weren't painted. She shifted her weight and found that Tatiana's toenails were also bare. So she wore clothing that screamed money, but did not take care of herself the way pale-face women usually did. Heck, even the relatively poor ones in Forks had artificial nails and highlighted hair at Tatiana's age. Maybe the fingernails were because of her work, but the

hair?

Emily's nimble fingers French braided the thick tresses and then freed a few strands around her face before stepping back to admire her handiwork. Tatiana did not look old enough, dressed like this with her face bare, to date Seth, never mind Sam's cousin. And yet imprinting knew no age even species barriers. Emily liked Chris and thought Sam was better for having his cousin around. She hoped that things would work out for Chris and this girl. Because losing a imprint… well, it might kill a wolf.

Tatiana gave Emily a wan smile, and slumped unconsciously into the chair, her blue eyes half closed as she stared into the half-empty mug.

Her teeth, Emily mused, turning away to look out the kitchen window at the boys. Tatiana's teeth weren't braces-straight. They weren't malformed or discolored, but clearly she had not had the kind of orthodontics that most white kids had. So where had she gotten the clothes? Had she come into money recently? Maybe they were knock offs? That was possible, she supposed. But why would she be in the woods dressed like that?

"I think the boys are done," Emily could not help smiling at Sam. Her Sam. She truly was blessed.

Chris' voice carried to the women as Sam opened the back door, "Do you have a shirt I can borrow?"

"I'll get you one that's respectable," Sam called over his shoulder as the two huge men made their way into the kitchen. The black-haired man crossed the kitchen and living area in three strides to disappear into a bedroom.

Chris knelt down to Tatiana sitting barefoot holding an empty mug. Her mood seemed much brighter after spending time with Emily. "Do you feel better now?" he asked.

Half-naked in the tiny kitchen, Chris seemed to fill up the house. How had he fit through the door? The thought brought up an image of cartoon characters leaving silhouette-holes from running through walls. The idea was just ludicrous enough to make her half-laugh. "Yes, Emily makes amazing tea." Close as he was he could probably smell the brandy.

"You don't know how good that makes me feel to hear you say that," he said turning to Emily. "Thank you Emily… Sam is lucky to have you. I wish I could have met you under much better circumstances, but I think I would have been ran out of La Push if I came back any time sooner than this."

He gently took Tatiana's hand and gazed deeply into her innocent eyes, "Tatiana, I am going to promise from this moment forth there are no secrets between us… none whatsoever. Some secrets should stay between us and only us, however, so I do ask that what happened today you please wait until Friday before you decide to tell the professor… if you decide to tell the professor. I promise everything will be told to you then… all the truth and nothing but the truth. Once you know everything it's up to you… what you have in your heart to decide if you will or will not keep the secrets. Know this… whatever you decide it will not be held against you and no harm will ever befall you as long as I draw breath." He took her hand and placed it gently in the center of his chest. "Feel my heartbeat, it beats only for you… I am yours," his eyes radiated the pure truth of his statement. "Whatever you ask of me I will do it. I mean it… I hope only in time you will understand that you mean everything to me." Chris stared in her eyes with pure honesty and added, "even if your wishes were for me to go to the other end of the earth and never look for you again I would do it only because I know that would be what would make you happy."

She had not realized she was drunk. Tipsy maybe, but wow… And why was his skin so hot he felt like he was on fire? She struggled to put together his words into something that made sense, and when she did her mouth came open as she sat up straight. "You… but… he's gonna wonder why the police want to talk to me. And I'm sure everyone is going to be talking about nothing else. You are a hero! Somehow you caught the cannibal!" Why wasn't he doing some sort of touchdown dance? "They are going to want to throw you a parade and probably give you a…"

"Sam?" Emily called, concern edging her voice.

Tatiana looked at Emily for help as she struggled to think of what they would give a forest ranger - maybe a boy scout badge for his green uniform? - then it came to her in rush, "a raise or a promotion or something."

Sam's human ears were sensitive enough to hear termites in the walls. Chris declaration made absolute sense to him and to every wolf that had been in the clearing. But to Tatiana, well that's what normal people did in her world - they called the police for everything.

"Leah," He called them as his long legs carried him back to his cousin. "Get her out of here. Emily go with them."

When Chris still didn't seem pleased, Tatiana stood, the chair grating against the linoleum floor, "That was the cannibal, wasn't it? She had a knife and she looked crazy and she punched you into a tree and said she was gonna make me into a snack!" Why was his hand shaking around hers? He looked weird, like he was gonna be sick or maybe was angry. Why wasn't he happy?

"Chris relax," Sam's human voice could not touch the wolves with the alpha's command he held as a wolf, but his tone allowed no argument. His arms reached to pin Chris' elbows behind him just as Leah burst through the front door, looking more angry than concerned.

Having survived being too close to a new wolf once Emily was cautious around them now when they were all worked up. Her heart told her that what Chris needed was to hold Tatiana, but while he was upset it wasn't safe. Of course, their reaction was only making it worse since the girl looked like she was fit to be tied.

"Stop it!" Tatiana screamed, advancing on Sam, which only put her in harm's way. "Let him go…" But the rest of whatever she was going to say got lost in a snarl as Leah leapt at Chris and Sam, phasing into a giant light gray wolf. Her spring was so precise that even in the tiny space she landed close enough to head-butt Chris in the chest, her hip knocking Tatiana to the floor effectively putting herself between them. Sam used the momentum to yank Chris through the screen door to the back yard.


End file.
